Jay Kersting's Blog

MY problems with blogging

Blogging is NOT for everyone.  Some have told me to quit, but these are those anonymous haters who are too cowardly to sign a real name behind their comments.

That is the problem with the internet, sometimes.

My problem with blogging is similar to what Rush Limbaugh said about his process of writing.  My thoughts move a hell of a lot faster than I can write or type.  I can get six or seven ideas out by speaking them before I can get just one of them by typing.

That is probably why I had so much trouble during the first fifteen or sixteen years of my life in our education system.

I am not writing this to imply that I am smarter than you or anyone else.  I might be, but I may also be a drooling idiot by comparison.

I was thinking about my sons before I wrote this.  Alex seems to be a lot like me, in that he is often very quick with his wit and reactions.  Ben, on the other hand, is more delayed and deliberate.  That is not to say that Ben is not as smart, but his language delays are part of an overall communications delay that he has.  And that is typical of those with various forms of autism.

Of the two boys, Alex could, like me, starting writing something and possibly skip a point that he wanted to make and would have to go back to re-write and edit.  For both of us, thank goodness for computers.  With Ben, he would probably feel more comfortable with pen and paper to formulate his thoughts to make sure that he is very clear in his message before sitting down to put it in the computer.  And then he might be more repetitive in his points, rather than skipping things over.

I don’t think that I am smarter than either one of them, nor they smarter than me, necessarily…though I hope they are.

Often times when I DON’T make a blog entry for a day or so, it is because I have SO much that I want to say, that I cannot clear things up enough in my own mind to say them. 

That is why radio was a great medium for me to work in.  And the blog that I used, wrote, back then was more of an outline for my show that day.  Today, without a show, it is more free form.  I do what I want, when I want and on what I want to talk about.

So, what was my point here?  Oh, yeah…that is why I sometimes have trouble with my blogs.  And why I jump around.  I do have ADHD…that was diagnosed in 2001.

Sure is pretty outside. 

I wonder if it is warm enough for golf.  I think I have a box of unopened golf balls.

Can’t wait for baseball season.

I wonder what we will have for lunch at the Jefferson City Young Professionals meeting today.

Bear with me on my writing.  I do get around to making a point….sometimes several of them….just not always following a straight line from point A to point B and continuing to points C, D, and E.

But, I do get there.  Usually.

Testing the Gag Reflex of the American People

The American People do not want this.  President Obama and his progressive=evil friends do.  Who will get their way?

No, that “=” was not a typo.  Progressives and their agenda are all about EVERYTHING the Founders of our once great nation were against.  Against the American Experiment = Evil.

OK, so now that I have made THAT clear, I can continue.

Seventy percent of the American people want this debacle to Federalize one-sixth of our economy under the guise of health care reform to die.  But the arrogant asses at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue know better than you do, so they are going to shove it down your throat.

Thus, my title.

I hope you have a strong Gag Reflex.  If you do, you will puke it back up on them.

Now, let me be completely honest here, there are times when the will of the American people is dead wrong.  Civil Rights is one area.  Isolationism in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s is another.  Those are times when true leadership was needed to make what had to be done the reality.

This is not one of those times.

Back in the 1930’s, one of the biggest arguments against Social Security was that it was little more than a vote buy.  This has proven true.

This is more than an attempt at a long term vote buy.  This is another step toward the removal of individual liberties.

But I have gone over all of this before and those who have a voice in this are deaf to the pleas of me and of those who are smart enough, or honest enough, to agree with me.

And that is just it.  Honesty.  There is a lack of honesty in this discussion and debate.  Look back at the meeting held at Blair House last week.  Democrat-Hypocrites continued their campaign accusing the Republicans of having NO plan.  This is half true, because the Republicans do not have an albatross to dump on the American people like the Democrat-Hypocrites do.  That is because the Republicans, and AGAIN for those of you who do NOT pay attention I am NOT a Republican, have a different approach.  So, it is not a complete LIE when the Democrat-Hypocrites say the Republicans don’t have a plan, it is a half truth. 

That is because the Republicans understand political physics.  For every action, there COULD be an equal or opposite reaction.  So their plan is to take things step-by-step and make changes as needed along the way.

Less painful, in theory.  And that is why I prefer their methodology.  This plays in to the concept of “leaving your self an out” to protect themselves, politically, if nothing else.  But it seems more responsible.  Especially, IF the real goal is toward reforming the health INSURANCE industry.

There it is.  What is the real goal of the Democrat-Hypocrites?

Most of you do not know.  Most people are too busy complaining about how rude or how bad the judges on American IDULL are this season.  Or are wetting themselves over “Glee” starting back up soon.  Or that Buzz Aldrin, if they know who he is, being on Dancing with the Has-Beens.

Progressives=Evil want you to be DEPENDENT on a LARGER and more powerful Federal Government.

I have posted on the plans on Saul Alinsky.  I have tried to educate many on Cloward-Piven. And the will of the American people is against this bill would be proof to many that the efforts of me and others to inform the public is working.

But I don’t see it that way.

Why?

Because the Democrat-Hypocrites are moving forward.  The reason why I have added Hypocrite to their party affiliation is because the move they are about to begin documents their hypocrisy. 

President Obama, as a Senator, spoke against majority only votes in the United States Senate.  He did so when he ran for the Senate.  Vice President Joe Biden did the same thing.  Harry Reid as well.  In fact, Harry Reid denied that “reconciliation” would be used at that Blair House meeting last week, when he said just SIX DAYS earlier that it was something under consideration.

So, this is going to happen.  Don’t accept it if you don’t like it, call your Senators and Congressman.  YOU could stop it.

But let me go back to the meeting at Blair House.  This was billed as an open discussion. 

Bull Shit!

Look at the content of that meeting.  Barry O spoke more than anyone else.  Barry stammered and lied repeatedly while sucking up the time that could have been used to a true open discussion.  Barry misrepresented the Congressional Budget Office conclusions to the plans.  He was called out, by Senator Lamar Alexander (that Barry claimed was twisting things) and by Representative Paul Ryan.

The problem was further complicated by the pulling at heart strings that was offered up by the Democrat-Hypocrite members of Congress.  The story of the woman using her dead sister’s dentures….I know I heard THAT one before.  Here is a clue….medicaid or medicare would cover you for that.  So, rather than talk about how IGNORANT your constituents are, HELP THEM!!  THAT IS YOUR JOB!!  And Tom Harkin, one of the biggest progressive-evil members of the U.S. Senate read a letter from a farmer…..yawn.  Senator, help your constituents.

Alexander and Ryan, among others, masterfully used the words of Barry O and his ilk against them. 

That meeting accomplished little.  For those who are against the 2700 document becoming a law to enslave the American people view this as a good public relations move for their side.  It exposed the Democrat-Hypocrites as wanting to use this occasion to spin the Republicans as uncooperative.  It did that, but the American people still don’t want the Progressive=Evil agenda pushed on them.  They saw that the Democrat-Hypocrites are going to forces this mess on the American people.

This is what “bi-partisanship” in Washington has become.  And when you Republicans get ready to praise me for saying this, I am going to turn this back on you, too.

Ye reap what ye sow.  Republicans tried the same strong-arm tactics when they were in power.  And the Dems did it before them.

Bi-partisanship in Washington means that one side wants something so they will beat the other side until they surrender.  This is a lot like an MMA cage match, but the results impact the audience.

I am disgusted.  I have rambled on and I know it.  But here is my point, and yes I have one.

We have a liar in the White House.  We have a bad agenda being pushed by him and his evil minions in Congress.  And Evil IS the word that I will use.  Forcing the American people to be dependent is EVIL. 

We have gotten the Congress and the President that we deserve.  James Garfield warned us of this 130 years ago.

So, here is my final question.  How many of you, who were outraged by ALLEGED lies of George W. Bush, and who voted for the Liar in the White House now, are going to give this CROOK a pass?  And how many of you, who thought Richard Nixon was bad, are sitting back and accepting this LIAR to continue to serve and continue to LIE to the American people?

How long will you give him a free pass?

If you are and if you do, you prove my point that the term Democrat-Hypocrite is accurate.

If I offended you, good.  That was my point.  I want YOU to start with the man or woman in the mirror to make things right.

This dangerous liar needs to go.  He is hurting our nation.  Before it is too late, stop this bill and then stop this man’s agenda.

Meanwhile, the rest of need to puke on them….as our Gag Reflex is being challenged.

Media Bias used to feed the Ignorant – Jim Bunning makes a valid point

It has been called grandstanding.  It has been called his lash hurrah.  It is being called a lot of things.

None of it is accurate from the media reports that I have been reading.

Here is what is being reported.  Senator Jim Bunning, Republican from Kentucky, is blocking an extension of unemployment benefits, transportation projects and Medicare reimbursement payments.

That is all true.

And in most of the media reports, that is where the story ends.  In some cases, very few though, the story does go on to explain why Bunning is doing what he is doing.

But through omission, we are not getting….with all due respect to the late Paul Harvey…the rest of the story.

So, why is Bunning doing what he is doing?  No, it is not because he is a curmudgeon.  He might be, but that is not why.

Last month, Congress passed something called Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO).  This was actually the law of the land from 1991 through 2002 and IT WAS NEVER ENFORCED.

Bunning wants to have something more than lip-service being paid to PAYGO.

As a taxpayer and parent of two who are being further burdened with our nation’s debts, I applaud Senator Jim Bunning for doing this. 

Why now?

This is the FIRST bill to come up since PAYGO was passed last month where he could do something.

The problem is not Jim Bunning.  The problem is the 99 others in the Senate who lack the BALLS to do the right thing.

Meanwhile, everyone is bashing Bunning for standing up.  Saying that Jim Bunning hates the unemployed, etc.  There is even a fringe group trying to get Jim Bunning expelled from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  [If you don't know, Bunning was a major league pitcher who threw a no-hitter in the AL and a perfect game, the only one at Shea Stadium, in the NL.  He is one of five pitchers to throw no-hitters in each league.]

The media shows their bias.  They are being spoon-fed this story by the Democrats who do not wish to have their hypocrisy further exposed.  They do this due to both like-think and laziness.

The problem in this story is, at least, two-fold.  It shows a willing manipulation of the media.  And it shows that the one with integrity, at least in this case, is the bad guy when he should be the good guy.

Folks, if you are eating what the, as Bernie Goldberg has labeled them, Lame Stream Media is feeding you, STOP.  Do not be among the ignorant!

Again, your ignorance can be corrected.  Please put forth a LITTLE effort.  You might have to shut off American IDULL for a night…or DVR it.

Hitting the NAIL on The HEAD! How to FIX the Radio Biz!

If you are like me and you have noticed how bad local radio has gotten in the last 13-15 years or so, specifically in the last 3 or 4 years, here is a fix. 

Jerry Del Colliano gets it.  If you take the time to read this, you will see how the powers who have KILLED radio can reverse course.

http://insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com/2010/02/manage-radio-like-grateful-dead.html

I never thought of this analogy, but it is truly brilliant.

I always said that the “geniuses” [will ALL due SARCASM] at corporate with Citadel, Entercom, Salem and especially Cumulus would actually be open-minded enough to read what Mr. Del Colliano has written and posted today, they could recapture market share.

But, their egos are in the way.  They do not care about the communities that they serve.  In fact, the attitude of radio executives is exactly the same as Station Manager R.J. Fletcher from the movie “UHF” back in 1989.  In the Al Yankovic classic, the character of R.J. Fletcher said this:

“This community means about as much to me as a festering ball of dog snot! You think I care about the pea-brained yokels of this town? If you took their combined I.Q., and multiplied it by a hundred, you might have enough intelligence to tie your shoe, if you didn’t drool all over yourself first. I can’t stand those sniveling maggots! They make me want to puke! But, there is one good thing about broadcasting to a town full of mindless sheep. I always know I have them exactly where I want them. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! ”

This is also hitting the nail on the head.

I admit, I want to work in talk radio again.  And I know that by posting this there are many companies who will find me more toxic than a vacation in Chernobyl back in the Summer of 1986.  But, this is so true.  The local people in place, the ones who HAVE a clue know this.  But they are unable to do anything.  Those at the corporate headquarters know best.  Because they care about shareholders, not their audience.

But it is the audience they are trying to sell.  Meanwhile, they defecate on that same audience.  And they feed THAT to the shareholders.

Great business model, huh?

Why are so many of them in bankruptcy or nearly there?

Argentina – Quit your crying

Have you heard the latest from Argentina?

They want the Falkland Islands.  No, this is not a repost from 1982.

The British are drilling for petroleum off shore of the Falkland Islands and Argentina is crying foul.  Why?  Because, despite the ass-whipping they took back in 1982, they still think the islands are theirs. 

Argentina is calling for the United Nations to step in and prevent the UK from moving forward.  Again, because they are STILL claiming the islands, which they call the Malvinas, even though it has been settled for at least 82 years.

Now, some could argue that this has been settled since British sovereignty was established in 1833.  That is 177 year for those who are keeping track at home.  But there is another issue…and I will get to that in a few paragraphs.

Despite the claims by Argentina that the islands are their territory, the Brits have actually tried to be decent neighbors.  Up until the Falklands war, the only regular air service to and from the islands was provided by an Argentine air provider.  And the energy needs for the islands were provided by the Argentine national energy company, YPF. 

But after the attack by Argentina in 1982, things have NOT been as friendly.  Why should they be?  The Brits tried to play nice, throwing the Argentine’s a nice bone by giving them some business only to get their hands bitten. 

And there are still some remnants of the war on the islands.  Notably, the 30,000 plastic landmines that remain as a deterrant outside to a Royal Army post near Stanley, the Falkland Island’s capital.  And because they are plastic, they are hard to detect and hard to remove.  I doubt that Argentina really wants to send their young men and women over to become human mine detectors.  But maybe they are that stupid.

So, this is what it might be all about.  Money.  But it is hard to know when you have a leftist government in place.  It hasn’t helped Hugo Chavez any, he has sunk his country deeper and deeper since taking office.  Which is what you get when you elect leftists.  I could cite examples closer to home, but this is about the South Atlantic.

Here is a possible solution.  And the United Nations could moderate this, so long as there is a big enough pay out for those involved in THAT culture of corruption.  First, Argentina signs a treaty acknowledging the rights of the United Kingdom to maintain the Falkland Islands (not the Malvinas).  In return for signing that treaty, the United Kingdom will impose a moratorium on petroleum exploration for at least ten years AND will purchase energy at a reasonable rate from Argentina.  If the rates exceed an agreed upon international pricing level, and after the ten year moratorium has passed, the United Kingdom may resume petroleum exploration.

UK gets to keep their islands, and future petro reserves.  Argentina gets some needed capital AND they get to look like the good guys.

Will never happen.

RE-POST – The Promotion of Mediocrity

Following today’s meeting at Blair House, I felt it was time to present this once again.

From 23 December 2009:

————————————————————————

If you have been awake, and judging by the actions of Congress, they hope you aren’t…..well, if you have been awake, you may have heard the following names mentioned by centrist or right leaning talk show hosts, politicians or pundits.

Saul Alinsky

Richard Cloward

Frances Fox Piven

If you haven’t heard those names, you really need to educate yourself. These are the people that wrote the playbook and game plan that the “Progressives” are currently playing from. Alinsky and Cloward are both dead, but it seems that, like Obi Won Kenobi, that only made them more powerful. Piven is still alive.

First up, Saul Alinsky. Barack Obama, remember him, current President of the United States, learned and later taught Saul Alinsky’s methods of Community Organizing. To some of you, you probably think this is great. But do you know what Alinsky was looking for? More on that in a second.

Next we have Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven. You have to keep those two together because they developed the “Cloward-Piven strategy” while at Columbia University’s School of Social Work. The Cloward-Piven strategy, published in “The Nation” back in 1966, put forth the theory that people who were eligible for government benefits were not receiving them. They pushed for a drive to get those people to apply for and accept these benefits.

The goal of Cloward-Piven strategy was to have the run on the government for benefits to force the Federal Government, via the Democratic Party who held both houses of Congress and the White House, to enact legislation creating a guaranteed national income.

Alinsky liked this idea too.

Now if you think this is a good idea, I am worried about your ability to see the effect of such actions.

Simply put, this promotes mediocrity. This removes the incentive to be individually successful. This is a giant step toward Communism.

Again, as I used to say on the radio show, do NOT take my word for it, do your own research. My job here is to make you think. I want you to question your preconceived ideas about how things work and be sure that you are comprehending what is actually happening in the world around you.

Think about this. If you don’t have to get out of bed in the morning and go to work in order to have your mortgage/rent and all your utilities paid, then why would you do so? Because you are not a bum?

Well, this is not how most people are.

I am all for effective and efficient welfare programs to help people who need help. But those programs need to have an end date.

Why is it that we have a President and Congress who want to have an end date for a military action, and in doing so showing the enemies of our nation when they can act up again, but it is NOT acceptable to have an end to welfare benefits to motivate people to pull themselves up from poverty.

Explain this to me in a way that I can understand and then I my finally understand bleeding heart liberalism. But since you can’t, I can only look at this for what it is.

This is EVIL Progressivism (redundant, I know). This is taking the responsibility of the individual and throwing it away.

It is a means of penalizing those who strive for and achieve success. I strive for, but have yet to achieve.

Soon, I may not have to. Because the far left, the evil Progressives, will have succeeded in making their goal. That goal……

The Promotion of Mediocrity

Do you want this?

If not, go back and re-read this.

http://jaykersting.com/blog/2009/12/22/it-is-time/

It truly is time.

Erin Hamlin impacted by changes to the track

Erin Hamlin is the slider that I have been looking forward to seeing.  Unfortunately, the programming fools at NBC decided to tape delay her event until late night.  Why?  So they could showcase the Chi-Comms in figure skating, an event where they don’t even skate figures anymore.

They did show Luge in the late night programming, but I cannot stay up that late AND I was following the results on-line.

So, here is the deal.  When they shortened the luge track due to the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, it impacted the event for everyone.  And it really ruined it for those who are known for cutting time by executing tighter turns near the end of the race.

Erin Hamlin is one of those sliders.  So is Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger, currently in third.  As for Erin Hamlin, she is in 15th, 0.813 behind leader Tatjana Huefner of Germany.

But as my friend Adrian Narvaez used to tell me, “Dem’s da berries”….meaning, everyone must adapt to the changes, so get used to it.  At least, I think that is what he meant.  Could have been talking about his breakfast toppings.

There are two more runs today for the Women’s luge.  Making up 0.813 is nearly impossible, but as I say about baseball, they play nine innings for a reason.  They make four runs down the ice for a reason. 

I hope Erin Hamlin can pull it out.  If not, she is still young and can do it again in Russia four years from now.

Something to think about while you may feel this complaint about the track is “sour grapes”….do you know who had the fastest SPEED on the track last night? 

Megan Sweeney of the United States…currently in 27th place.

Sticking with sports. What impressed me, what didn’t.

On Friday, most of you didn’t know the name Johnny Spillane.  I did, barely.  The only reason that I knew who he was is due to my interest in the real sports in the Winter Olympics and not the crap.

Like Duncan Kennedy in the luge back in Alberville in 1992, Spillane was the best hope for the first American medal in Nordic Combined.

Nordic Combined?  Don’t know it?

Two events.  First, Ski Jumping (off of the Normal hill) and then, cross country skiing (10km/6.1 miles).

Johnny Spillane took silver, the first American medal in Nordic Combined and the first medal in ALL Nordic events since Bill Koch won silver in cross country skiing back in 1976.

Spillane has the opportunity for another medal when the Nordic Combined moves the the larger hill (a K125) on the 25th.  Todd Lodwick and Bill Demong, who finished 4th and 6th respectively, are also looking to medal in this event and they may have a jumping advantage over Spillane.

So, while that impressed me.  Jamie McMurray winning the Daytona 500 didn’t.   NASCAR has this so backwards.  The biggest event kicks off the season…huh?

Oh, and the NBA had their All-Star Game on Sunday.  108,000+ people were silly enough to waste their money to watch this.  I think the East won, but I don’t care.  The NBA is probably the worst professional sports league in existance.

——————–

I did enjoy the short-track speed skating that I watched.  South Korea should have swept the 1500m.  BUT, they screwed up and the guy in second took out the guy in third.  That opened the door for Apolo Ohno and J.R. Celski to collect the silver and bronze.

The spills and recoveries are part of what makes short track exciting the watch.

——————————–

Finally, I enjoyed the coverage of the Luge this year.  Duncan Kennedy makes this event for NBC.  And this year, I think they finally got him to really open up.  Unfortunately, I think this increased usage of the 1988, 1992 and 1994 American slider was due to tragedy.

Unless you are one of the slugs who prefers to watch NASCAR or a bad NBA exhibition over the games, you have heard about the death of Georgia slider Nodar Kumaritashvili on Friday during a training run.  Kumaritashvili’s death led many to conclude that the sport is out of control and hyper-dangerous.

Duncan Kennedy helped bring perspective on this.  And he helped explain the problems with this track and the alterations made to it in the aftermath.

Felix Loch of Germany won the singles luge….and he is rather impressive.  2006 Gold medalist Armin Zoeggeler took bronze.

American Tony Benshoof finished eighth.

———————-

I will probably comment a bit on the games over the next two weeks.  I have loved the Winter Games since my parents went to Lake Placid back in 1980.  Be prepared for it.  Other things will be commented on, as I feel the need and interest in doing so.

Meanwhile, a word from my sponsors…..

Winter Olympic Games begin today….What is and what ISN’T a sport!

The Winter Olympics are a great exhibition of athletic competition in cold climates.  I love watching the Winter Olympics no matter how bad NBC and their networks cover it. 

Don’t get me wrong, to a sports junkie like me, I enjoy having several choices when it comes to watching the games.  But NBC reverts back to the 1970’s when it comes to prime time.  At least they have in the past, meaning that they only have programming on the Mothership during prime time.

And I HATE that because it means endless hours of that dreck known as Figure Skating or Ice Dancing.  More than 90 seconds of that crap and I start to heave.

The debacle of 2002 proved to me why those are not sports.  Nor is most of the “freestyle skiing” or “snowboarding” or any other sport, no matter the weather, where you have a human judge using some oddball scoring system.  That is what led to the problems in Salt Lake City eight years ago.

I am NOT saying that these are NOT athletes.  But SPORTS need to be determined by a scoring system that is obvious to a super-majority of the spectators.  Basketball, football, baseball all have this down.  Running nails it with timing, discus throwing with distance.  Figure skating USED to have it.  When skaters had to skate FIGURES.  Once that was dumped and the goofy outfits and odd makeup jobs took over, it ceased to be a sport.

My favorites during the Winter Olympic Games are the fastest events on ice.  Luge, skeleton and Bobsled!  The fastest time down the ice wins.  If in the luge, you flip over and get back on your sled and finish, it counts…unless a spectator or any other person assists.  Simple.  With bobsled, same thing except you cannot push the sled after the starting zone.

Hockey is solid.  Back during the Turin Games, I watched both Men’s and Women’s hockey during the day (I worked a split shift as a radio traffic reporter) on Universal Sports.  LOVED it.  I didn’t care if it was Canada taking on Poland or Russia playing Czech Republic.  I could follow the game, know who was good and who wasn’t.

Figure skating or ice dancing is nothing more than fools in idiotic looking outfits jumping and spinning to lame music.

Huh?

Then again, people watch “American IDULL” and “The Bachelor” so they will enjoy this landfill quality content.

Freestyle skiing is fun to watch because of the spills.  But the post event interviews are not.  I have been around inarticluate college athletes who look like Peyton Manning after watching these dim bulbs.  Talented, sure.

Snowboarding is pretty much on par with freestyle.  Shaun White is the only articulate one of that bunch, as far as I can recall.

The other event that I really enjoy is Ski Jumping.  It looks so crazy, yet so serene.  While I would get in a bobsled, on a luge or skeleton sled, and I have put on both downhill and cross country skis, I could never ski jump.  If I ever tried, I would make the “agony of defeat” guy look graceful.

Then you have the athletes that I have a TON of respect for in the Winter Olympic Games.  The biathlete.  Biathlon combines cross country skiing and target shooting.  They ski at high rates of speed and then have to slow their heart rates down to hit the targets over several stops.  And they have their rifle on their back as they are skiing.  Impressive.

All of that said, if figure skaters and ice dancers were to stop mid-routine and hit a few targets with the rifles that they carry, that might interest me.  Otherwise…no.

Not happening.

—————————–

It only SEEMS longer…. reflecting on Sarah Palin

Two years ago this morning, I brought up the subject on the ole radio show about who John McCain should select as his running mate.  He has virtually secured the nomination to be the Republican nominee for President by that point.

So, I suggested that he should have a female running mate.  I also said that Barack Obama, if he won the nomination, should have a female running mate as well. 

I threw out several names for Senator McCain as maybes.  Then I swung for the fences.

I mentioned that McCain’s weaknesses were his age, his perception that he was not conservative enough and he has never held an chief executive position before.  The weekend before, I did some researching and I found someone who I thought would be a great counter to his negatives.

On Saturday, 9 February 2008, I asked a question in the forums at www.bernardgoldberg.com if anyone knew any thing about Alaska’s Governor.

That Monday, 11 February 2008, I brought her name up on the show.  I think I prounced it both PAL-in and PAY-lin because I didn’t know.  And I didn’t want to assume the pronunciation was the same as the Monty Python member.

Anyhow, I said THEN that she appeared to be a great match for the weaknesses of the ticket.  And I believe that she really was.

I know that the McCain campaign messed up big time in how they utilized her.

So, here we are two years after I suggested her as the running mate.  What do I think now?

Well, I am mixed.  The resigning of the Governor’s office this past summer struck me as odd, but I sort of understood it.  Understood based on her explanations.  And with Sarah Palin, I think you need to take her at her word and NOT on what the media says about her.

There is where the problem with Sarah Palin lies.  The progressive and hypocritical media has turned her in to some sort of marginalized dolt, while at the same time they fear her.  So…what is she?  Who is she?

Sarah Palin is a lot like me, except pretty, successful and female.

Here is what I mean.  She bounced between several colleges before she got her degree.  I bounced through three colleges, and four different enrollments, before I finally graduated.  She worked in sports broadcasting, so did I.

That may be where the comparisons end.  I never took part in a beauty pageant, only one possibly ill-advised “talent” show as a senior in high school.  I never worked in the commercial fishing business, just a duck processing plant.

But some of the values that she holds are things that me, and many others, find to match with what we believe.

Then I look at some of the things that have been happening lately and I find that I am less than inspired.  She was the keynote speaker at the Tea Party convention in Nashville last week.  While I have never attended a Tea Party rally, I respect the grass-roots effort of that group.  I hope they KEEP it grass-roots and do not become a third party.  I say this as an independent who wants the pressure to be put on the two existing parties to straighten out.

I do not find anything at Governor Palin does to be fresh and and compelling enough, right now at least, to think that she is a viable answer to Barack Obama in 2012.  Then again, I do not find any Republican to be a viable answer to Barack Obama.  A true third party candidate cannot win in 2012…at least not at this point.  Maybe that gives her time to build up her base and show that she is viable. 

Remember Ronald Reagan was also marginalized by many, including the media, up to and even after being elected as President. 

That said, I go back to what I wrote a while back.  And I mean no disrespect to Governor Palin, the best answer for taking our country back in 2012……

If you read it before you know who I am going to say…….

If you didn’t see it….here it goes.

Peyton Manning!!!

Intelligent.  Articulate.  Effective. Strong name recognition.  High positives.  Few negatives.

And, he will be 35 years old on 24 March 2011, he is a natural born United States citizen (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) and has been a resident of the United States for at least fourteen years (a home in Tennessee since 1998, a condo in Indianapolis since 1998 as well, in Knoxville as a student back to 1994…..and in New Orleans before that…got that covered.)  THAT makes him qualified.

But would he take the pay cut?

All that said, I like Sarah Palin.  I am just not as excited about her as I was two years ago when I mentioned her name to the people of Mid-Missouri.

We have a couple of years to see what happens.  Who would have thought, besides me, that we would be talking about the former Governor of Alaska still today?

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