Just Wanted To Let You Know...

If Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic Nomination, I am voting for McCain. In fact, I would vote for George Bush over Hillary... Does anybody else feel this way?

RH

Hillary

My daughter called me yesterday to see if I was going to see Hillary Clinton in Santa Barbara at her so-called "Town Hall Meeting" at UCSB (The local university). I hadn't heard Madame Hillary would be in town, but since the Barak Obama event turned out to be such a pleasant surprise, I thought why not? So I sprung my daughter from school, and off we went. I also phoned up hubby Harry at work and invited him along as well and although he is no fan of Madame H., he was game and said he would meet us there.
When we were about 10 minutes away however, Harry called to say that it was impossible to get in. Being the eternal optimist, I decided to try anyway... and I thought it a bit odd that they weren't letting people in... wouldn't Hillary want to have the chance to speak to as many as possible? I still had the flawlessly organized Barak Obama event in my mind; they let everybody in and even let me take some nice pictures. Mr. Obama had bodyguards, as one would expect, but they were fairly low-key. As he arrived, he took the time to shake hands with those waiting along the railing, stopped and exchanged a few words here and there and was on the whole friendly and accessible. Likable.
Different story all together with Madame Clinton. Apparently, people had been waiting outside the venue for 3, 4 even 5 hours to hear Hillary, and when they opened the gates, the masses pushed their way through in sort of a survival of the fittest exercise, which resulted in many of those who had been waiting there the longest not even getting in! We ran into several of my daughter's schoolmates and their parents who hadn't gotten in and they had been there since 3:00 - for an event that started at 6:45. They said people just pushed them out of the way. Yikes.
Well you can't blame that on the Clinton campaign, right? I suppose... but it did dawn on me that the chosen venue was extremely small (basketball court size) when there was a stadium and a big concert hall right near by. They must have realized that there would be a crowd...right?

Hmm. So I asked a few of the police that surrounded the "Town Hall" whether it was possible to just take some pictures. I might well have asked them to sprout wings and fly, because the answer would have been somewhat similar. So we waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ms. Clinton as she arrived, and to listen a bit to her "conversation => monologue" over the PA system that was to suffice for the trampled masses left out in the cold. (And it was cold...in the 40s!)

So the thing got started, and we were listening and shivering outside, peeking through the window from afar, and I hear the woman who is introducing Ms. Clinton say something like blah blah "so the people in the overflow rooms can hear." Which I found to be a rather odd thing to say given that there were no overflow rooms, unless "OUTSIDE IN THE COLD" now counts as a room. (I later verified this with one of the campus security crew).

And then it hit me. This whole thing was staged just for the media. They (Hillary and campaign people) didn't give a rat's arse about the people who showed up to hear Hillary Clinton talk. She just wanted the whole thing to look good on camera.

We listened to Ms. Clinton speak for about 20 minutes, but by this time we were freezing and I was pretty fed up with listening to her go on about how she is going to spend everybody else's money, so we left. Besides, if she can't even be honest about the venue she is speaking in, who gives a potato about what else she is saying. What a phony!

My daughter, who is young and liberal, commented that she sounds like she is talking to small children when she speaks (i.e. condescending). I really hope you folks don't elect her to be president. If you want a democrat, vote for Obama. He is far more genuine.

My 2 cents.

RH

Calling GenX and Millennials - Important Announcement

Update: Here are the generational breakdowns according to Strauss and Howe:

1. G.I. Generation Born 1901 - 1924, Currently 82 - 106 years old.


2. Silent Generation Born 1925 - 1942, Currently 64 - 82 years old.
   
   1. SENATOR JOSEPH BIDEN, JR.: Birthdate: November 20, 1942,
   1. John McCain: Birthdate: August 29, 1936 (Panama Canal Zone)
   2. Ron Paul: Birthdate: August 20, 1935 (Pittsburgh, Pa. )
   3. Fred Thompson: Birthdate: August 19, 1942 (Sheffield, Ala.)
      


3. Boom Generation Born 1943 - 1960, Currently 46 - 64 years old.
   
   1. SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON: Birthdate: October 26, 1947,
      
   2. SENATOR CHRISTOPHER DODD: Birthdate: May 27, 1944,
      
   3. FORMER SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS: Birthdate: June 10, 1953,
      
   4. REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Birthdate 1946,
      
   5. GOVERNOR BILL RICHARDSON: Birthdate: Nov. 15, 1947)
1. Rudy Giuliani: Birthdate: May 28, 1944 (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
2. Mike Huckabee: Birthdate: August 24, 1955 (Hope, Ark.)
3. Duncan Hunter: Birthdate: May 31, 1948 (Riverside, Calif.)
4. Mitt Romney: Birthdate: March 12, 1947 (Detroit, Mich.)
   
4. Generation X Born 1961 - 1981, Currently 25 - 46 years old.
   
   1. SENATOR BARACK OBAMA, Birthdate: August 4, 1961


5. Millennial Born 1982 and later, Currently 25 or younger.

Reference

On our latest 8 hour drive to the mountains we got lucky and found a radio show that was one of the most interesting and informative I have ever heard. My husband and I were so glued to the radio that it seemed to cut the trip in half.

What were we listening to? An interview with author Neil Howe who coauthored several books with Bill Strauss, including
Generations and
The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy. I had heard neither of the authors nor their books, but nearly everything Mr. Howe said during this 3+ hour interview rang true. My husband and I would turn and look at each other periodically, nodding our heads in agreement, and rather amazed at the accuracy with which Mr. Howe described the present state of society, and the qualities and foibles of current and past generations. (I am now a believer! We bought and downloaded two of their books to listen to on the ride home.)

Now for the troublesome part. In their book The Fourth Turning, the authors say that we are heading into a period they call "Crisis":

Just after the millennium, America will enter a new era that will culminate with a crisis comparable to the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, and World War II. The survival of the nation will almost certainly be at stake.

During the program, Mr. Howe made the comment: (I am paraphrasing)

"It would probably be better to have someone from Generation X leading the country to steward us through the crisis"

(as opposed to a Boomer.... Millennials are still too young)...and then he went on to say that among the current presidential candidates, there is only one GenX'er. Just when he said who it was, we hit static and missed it! But whoever it is,

HE/SHE IS WHO WE NEED TO MAKE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT!

I am researching it, but in the meantime....does anybody know?

Follow Up: Barak Obama is the GenX'er. I don't agree with him on some of his policies, but he is the man we want if you subscribe to the theories of Howe and Strauss. The question is: If you don't agree on policy, is it better to have somebody who actually does something than somebody who does nothing? Comments?

Follow up to comment:

I am Gen X. Was born in 1970. Recently, a boomer expressed very negative comments about my generation: we have no ambition, we are lost, confused, self-centered, etc. I was offended and did not recognize myself in this portrait. I certainly value family more than material success but that does not mean I have no ambition.

That is what the Boomers say about us GenX'ers. I have heard that many times as well. Howe & Strauss (H&S) say that GenX is self sufficient, values practical compromise over pie-in-the-sky ideology, tends to cocoon and surround themselves with close friends and family and gets things done. That suits me just fine!

Just look at the political stalemate we have today. Right and Left are in their corners and are shouting names and accusations at each other. Can you imagine what will happen if we face a real crisis with that sort of paralyzed leadership? Out with the Boomers!

RH

Barak Obama Stops By

Maybe they are used to this kind of thing in Iowa or New Hampshire, but out here in California, we are not so used to seeing US presidential hopefuls in person (unless you happen to have tons of money and influence and are throwing them a schmooze party in Hollywood), so I thought it was rather exciting to hear that one had decided to come to town and talk to the regular folks! (Yes, we do have regular folks out here...)
So this morning, I grabbed my camera and my DH and I headed to Santa Barbara to see the American political process in action in the form of Senator Barak Obama at a rally held at Santa Barbara City College. I have never been to such an event before, and didn't really know beans about Mr. Obama, but I have to say it was a very pleasant experience (except that I forgot to put on sunscreen).
I would highly recommend going to hear a presidential candidate if you get the chance, whether you support him or her or not, because you become a better citizen for it. In the case of Mr. Obama, it could turn out to be a major event in American history.

He is a great speaker; one of those rare people who really connects with their audience and is able to communicate his ideas and intentions in way such that I could believe that he believes in what he was saying. (Not always the case you know).

I have heard people say that he is not experienced enough to be president, but I found him to be rather confidence inspiring. He spoke about health care and said he intends to make sure that health insurance is available to every American by the end of his first term as president.

He told us that his mother had died of cancer when she was just 53, and that she had been diagnosed during a period when she was changing jobs, so had the happy experience of spending the last few months of her life trying to determine whether her new health insurance would cover her treatment. I tell you this because IMHO, an experience like that makes it more likely that health care would be a priority for President Obama (There...I said it!).

My favorite thing that Senator Obama said was that he will tell it like it is, and tell the American people where he stands on an issue. I hope he means that, and I for one, am going to hold him to it.

RH
PS...did I mention he is also very handsome? (and seems to be a genuinely nice man.) Also, rumor has it that he and his wife are staying with Oprah in Montecito (she has a $36 million house there...it must be plated in gold or something...and will be hosting a party of some sort for the Obamas.) Just had to throw that last bit of gossip in! Ta! Update: I was wrong about staying with Oprah...she did throw a party for him...but they actually stayed at what I still refer to as Fess Parker's Hotel. They call it something different now!