"The Hypocrisy"

The start of the Republican convention obviously did not start as planned, but it appeared to move forward to be a successful convention none-the-less.

Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain has a long prominent career on a host of issues, but it goes without saying foreign policy has been his strong suit. Because it's his strong suit he has attacked Senator Barack Obama for not being ready to lead and his lack of experience. Some may even say those attacks have closed the gap between the two candidates. Now we all know all is fair in love and politics, but it is nauseating to watch the Republican surrogates and conservative pundits try to manufacture experience for the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Governor Sarah Palin.

Some of the surrogates seem so caught off guard by the selection that they are having a hard time defending her record and wondering if the unthinkable happens will she be ready to lead on day one.  This, by the way, was the standard bearer that Senator John McCain adopted from Senator Hilary Clinton during the Democratic primary.   If you want to say Senator Barack Obama is not qualified fine, but if he isn't Governor Sarah Palin damn sure isn't. And don't give me this Governor's Executive experience rhetoric, because if she has more experience than Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden combined because she is a Governor them she has more than Senator John McCain as well.

These past two weeks got me thinking about a bigger problem within our country......Hypocrisy!!

The citizens of this country sit back and listen to the pundits, politicians, and partisan media chastise the other party's actions when they know they have done the same thing in the past.  When one party is in the majority the minority is obstructionist and the minority views the majority as a do nothing majority. There are countless examples of the hypocrisy and of course in the end the American people lose.

All this leads me back to the Democratic and Republican conventions. I will admit both were very inspiring, but they both were also misleading.   Mitt Romney has the nerve to talk about stopping Al Gore from flying in a private plane!!! How many plans does Mitt have (not to mention houses)??  Chairman Howard Dean still proclaims Senator McCain wants to keep us fighting in Iraq for 100 years.  Mayor Giuliani, Senator Joe Lieberman, and Governor Palin outright lying when they say Senator Barack Obama hasn't had any major legislative accomplishment or that he has never reached across party lines.  And Senator Kerry and many other Democrats expressing that Senator McCain is a clone of President Bush.  He is a little different.   

I can hear my friends in DC saying that this is just the way it is. Well I find that way of thinking ignorant and antiquated.  If you subscribe to this policy you are part of the problem not the solution.   And clearly anybody who thinks this way does not have the best interest of the American people in mind.  We are all charged as citizens with the responsibility to make a more perfect union.
 
I ask the American people not to be seduced by the hypocrisy that is our American political system.
 
Now the real debate begins.
 
Please feel free to forward and visit my site to share your comments with me.

"If you give me a penny for your thoughts, I'll give you change"

"The Moment"

The 2008 Democratic convention has been an amazing display of so-called party unity. This past week of speeches, parties and receptions will only prove to be worth it if the party actually comes together to defeat Senator McCain in November. This so-called unity is critical, especially now that John McCain has announced his VP candidate.   This news may marginalize the proverbial bounce that usually comes after a party's convention.

The Democrats spent this week stressing the major similarities between John McCain and George Bush; whether America buys it is yet to be determined. This was expected, it is also expected that the Republicans will attempt to paint Senator Barack Obama as a lopsided liberal that will take away your guns and raise your taxes next week in Minneapolis. I personally hope the American people don't fall for the staged tricks, antics, and coordination of either party's conventions.

I hope they look at these two political parties and call them out for their vast waste of money (at the conventions and in government) and their attempts to dilute the real issues down to sound bites and rhetoric.

Don't get me wrong conventions are fun, exciting, and a great display of the party's strength and continuity, however they could stand to be a bit more substantive and less show.

All that being said there was a moment that really touched me. When the tribute to Martin Luther King's march on Washington and his historic "I have a Dream" speech began playing on the jumbo-tron of Mile High stadium (INVESCO Field) I felt the moment building. While watching the piece I began to think what God must be saying and thinking at this very moment. Is he disappointed at our inability to come together and compromise on the ways we can create better lives for his children or is he commanding his angels on high to summoned Martin Luther King to his side. Is God inviting Martin to sit and watch the fruits of his service and labor?  Maybe God is eager to use us to express the level of sacrifice it will take to move the mountains the plague our country and world.

When Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination, history was made and there was a moment. Just like there was a moment when John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural speech and when Ronald Reagan spoke to the Soviet Union in Germany. I know they were Presidents and Barack Obama isn't, but that does not minimize the magnitude of his moment.

I'm thankful I could share it with him, America, and the rest of the world. But when it was all over.......all I could say was....WOW!

Penny politics signing off from the Mile High state, on to the Twin Cities!

"Everybody has a penny, imagine if everybody gave a penny"
 

Penny Politics Back on BET

The historic Democratic Convention is finally upon us and Penny Politics is front and center to provide an unfiltered perspective.

On Wednesday, August 27th Brian E. Taylor, founder and CEO of The Penny Institute and PennyPAC will be featured on BET at 9:00 pm, EST. The show's titled "Obama's journey to the White House", which will count down the top ten moments in Obama's historic run to become our country's 44th President.

Please fill free to forward to others and visit the site to view previous postings.

"Enough pennies can change the world"

More Penny Politics coming soon!!

Patriotism

We live in a country with 300 million Americans and the majority of them are hard working honest people who love this country. The rest of them are criminals, cons, and home grown terrorists. Did I leave anybody out? Yes I did.  I left out the partisan political pundits (who are more concerned with the promotion of their next book than speaking the truth to the American people), partisan politicians, partisan bloggers, partisan columnists, and the pure capitalists that live and thrive among us and masquerade themselves as patriots.

But first, when did Republicans get a monopoly on patriotism? When networks hire these "so-called" experts and commentators to discuss important issues that affect so many lives you would think the "experts" would put the country first - not their partisan views that only represent half the country at best.

When are we going to wake up and demand that our leaders sit down and compromise on these issues? When are we going to look in the mirror and realize that our way isn't the only way? When are we going to understand that what is best for America is to put American interests first. Now that might mean we have to work a little harder or be inconvenienced a bit or that corporations will make 7 billion a quarter instead of 10 billion.
 
It will also mean Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, and Keith Olbermann would all be out of a job. Which may be good for America, because all of them spew half truths and incomplete facts about the other side to push their agenda.

Look at it like this, if we were overseas in a jam in a foreign country, I would be your best friend. Not because we look the same or have the same political ideology or not even because you like me, but because I am an American.

We are Americans! And until we understand that fact and stop putting money, power, and closed-minded principles ahead of that fact we will continue to wonder why we can't solve our problems. If Brazil can solve their energy crisis why the hell can't America.

A politician that can evolve on an issue after obtaining more facts or recognizing a shift in the urgency is not a flip flopper he\she is putting America first.

Feel free to forward and visit the site to post your comments.

A penny for your thoughts, a nickel for a kiss, and a dime if someone can bring back liberty.
 

I'm Back!!

It's been a long time, I shouldn't left you, without a strong rhyme to step to....

Just a little shout to the Backspin channel on Sirus Satellite radio!!

Wow!! There has been so much that has occurred since the last time we talked.....where shall I begin.

First, I would like to congratulate Senators Obama and McCain on securing their parties nomination for President of the United States. Second, I would like to express to my readers who this is all about....the people. I have the honor through my non-profit (The Penny Institute) to teach classes on political education and civic engagement to teenage mothers in the District of Columbia at another non-profit called Healthy Babies. Through these classes I am able to teach them the tools necessary for them to understand their responsibility in creating the changes they want to see in their communities.

These women have little education and even less understanding of the political process, yet during each session their thirst for more grows stronger and stronger. While we sit and debate over talking points from the right and the left these women ponder how they will feed their kids this week and how not to become the next victim of DC's massive gentrification plan (see Mayor Fenty for more details). After just a few sessions these young women are starting to understand that the system will not listen unless you vote in large numbers and can write some checks.

In contrast, I teach a more advance level of political education to some college students in a joint effort with The Center for Progressive Leadership. These students are in DC for the summer working with different think-tanks and other non-profits. Their ambitions are high, but their understanding of political education isn't much higher than the teenage mothers. They are just formulating their political identity and thankfully they are not jaded yet, but they are getting a heavy dose of partisan politics. Unfortunately, they are suffering from the same hangover (see George Bush on YOUTube) that many other Americans outside the beltway are......"Why can't they get shit done"!

The thing that is fascinating and frustrating to me about these two groups is that this is America's future. These young adults have very little in common except their ignorance of their civic responsibility to this country. But, the thing that gives me hope is that both groups are so thirsty for the knowledge and as I give them the water they need for their own nourishment they grow and blossom right before my very eyes.

I ask you, who do you know that is thirsty? Who can you pour hope into?

Until the next time.....feel free to forward this and go to the Penny Blog and post your comments.

How many pennies does it take to change the world?

Penny Politics on BET

Sunday, June 8th at 11:00 am on BET the founder of Penny PAC and The Penny Institute will be featured on The top 10 Senator Barack Obama moments.

Stay tuned for more Penny Politics!!!

"We had a lotta bad blood."

As the latest primary comes to an end the one good thing that comes to mind is the cleansing of the Democratic party.

It reminds me of a line from "The Godfather."

"We had a lotta bad blood."

When Michael Corleone took over the family business he stepped over his older brother Fredo and began to take the family in a different direction. Fredo felt he was entitled to be the next Godfather. When Michael took over he cleared up the bad blood.

I think the party had a lotta bad blood. Obama is Michael and he has just stepped over Hillary. While the Clintons did their share of good for the Democratic party, they also did their share of harm.

Several Members of Congress have numerous horror stories about the tactics and attitudes of the Clintons. Until Obama, the Clintons were the only game in town. While the party has a lot of mending to do, ultimately this will be helpful for the long term success of the Democratic party. This will secure a large youth vote along with Independents, which will assist in increasing the Democratic majority in the Congress.

The time has come - and some would say long overdue - for the Democratic party to turn the page on the Clinton era. Obama is now the head of the family business.

Rev. Run

Here we are on the eve of the Indiana and North Carolina primary and all I am hearing is Hillary's momentum, Reverend Wright, blue collar voters, flag pins, pandering and a divided party. As you may have noticed these issues have nothing to do with real issues such as health care, the war, education, or the weakened economy. Over the past couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of speaking with several different groups in the DC Maryland region from high school students in DC, to academics at John Hopkins University, and a group of Ministers from Prince Georges County, Maryland.   The funny thing about all those groups is that they all feel the media is way off base during this campaign season.  This is the biggest example that I can remember of the media being more focused on the solaces and not the pertinent issues during an election.  So since that's what the media wants to discuss I will give you my take on there topics of interest. 
 
Hillary's momentum is one of the big topics on MSNBC right now and if she wins Indiana and North Carolina that would be six contest in a row. (my prediction is Obama win NC and she barely wins Indiana) Wow, six in a row!!!  Now that is MOMENTUM!!!  But let's look at this a little closer.  Her streak began when she won Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, but she did not win the delegate count in Texas and let's not forget that Obama won twelve contests in a row; I count Vermont as the 12th state.  But now her momentum is so overwhelming, or at least that is what Chris Matthews and Mr. Buchanan would want you to believe, that Clinton's argument for the super delegates is better than losing a generation of voters since the super delegates would have to overturn the virtually insurmountable lead Obama gained during his twelve state streak.  Of course they also said the best candidate for President was a "Whaspy type candidate".   You decide..
 
Rev. Wright has been on TV more than Britney Spears lately!  See Fox News (Hannity & Combs). The pastors that I spoke with have some sympathy for him, but there is also a feeling that he needs to show some self restraint in his quest to defend his name. If he doesn't do so I think you will see some black leaders (churches) put some distance between them and Rev Wright, simply because the  supporters of Obama in the black churches are not going to allow him to derail that best chance for this country to have an opportunity to elect an African American to the highest office in the land.  So Rev Run!!!  Rev Run away!!!
 
Blue collar voters haven't gotten this much attention since Reagan.  See CNN.  I happen to think all voters are important, but that's just me.  While blue collar voters are important it is unfair to think that if Obama wins the nomination that he will not win New York, California, or Penn, which President Bush did not win either time.  And for the record it is going to be challenging for any Democrat to win Ohio, Florida, Michigan, or Missouri.   And hopefully Democrats have learned from Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004 that Democrats must expand the map to win.  With Obama I feel Wisconsin is in play, along Virginia, Colorado, and possibly a Southern state like Mississippi.   While blue collar voters are important it is a fact that Hillary CANNOT WIN without the African American vote. 
 
   
This takes me into flag pins and pandering. See Fox, MSNBC, and CNN. I have one question about flag pins......When the hell did flag pins start defining patriotism?  Okay two questions.......When did the Republicans get this monopoly on patriotism?  Ronald Reagan did not wear a flag pin.  John F. Kennedy did not wear a flag pin. So any Dems or Rep that thinks this is a story I ask you all to look at the pillars of your party and ask yourself is this an issue.   The biggest current issue of pandering is this gas tax deal which will never happen in Washington!! Neither Congress nor the President will even consider this initiative this year. 
 
I will close with the divided Democratic Party and the fact is true, the party is in trouble.  Whoever wins the Dem nomination will have to work extremely hard to convince their voters to vote for the other candidate in order to have a chance to win in November.  If they split NC and Indiana Obama will need 38% of the delegates left and Clinton will need 66%.   The party may be split, but even if they are able to bring the party together it is going to be very challenging for either of them to win in November because they are both damaged candidates due to this long primary process. 
 
That's all I have today, but stay tuned next week for more Penny Politics where your two cents counts!
 
By the way check out the web sites <http://www.thepennyinstitute.org/> www.thepennyinstitute.org <http://www.thepennyinstitute.org> and <http://www.pennypac.com/> www.pennypac.com <http://www.pennypac.com> .  Also, stay tuned for information on the Thurgood Marshall Forum on Social Justice on the campus of University of Maryland. 
 

About the Penny Politics Blog

Thank you for your attention, and welcome to the non-partisan Penny Politics Blog. As President Ronald Reagan said, “Government is the people's business and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid.”

Penny Politics is a blog created by me, as the founder and CEO of the non-partisan PennyPAC and The Penny Institute. This blog will feature commentary as I travel the country speaking to the American people on the importance of civic engagement and political involvement. I’ve had more than a decade of experience working in the U.S. Congress and state capitals. As an independent thinker, I hope to offer commentary without the traditional partisan spin.

Stay tuned!