ON HIATUS!

THE S.W.Y.M NATION BLOG WILL RETURN...STAY TUNED!

AND SO IT IS!!!!! THANK GOD!!

MY ANXIETY IS OVER! I'M THAT CHILD ON CHRISTMAS MORNING...

BARACK OBAMA HAS DONE IT! WE HAVE DONE IT!

GOT TO GO NOW...GOT TO CELEBRATE!!


S K A A R!

Tick tock, tick, tock...

So this is it...
It's 9:14 pm, election night.
I sit, switching back and forth between CNN and MSNBC coverage of the election.
I'm nervous. Did I expect a major blow out for Obama? No, not really. Would have been nice. Things are shaping up to be a tight race...so they're saying.

I would love to just go to bed, wake up....turn on the t.v. and be pleasantly surprised.
It's like Christmas Eve!

Let me just get through this night...and hope I get what I want tomorrow.


Looking forward to McCain fading off into the night, leaving politics. Palin going back to Alaska, hopefully never to be heard of again!


I watch and wait.


S K A A R

PLUMBER BUTT!!!

---

Seriously...let me SWIM for a second:
"SOMEONE SHUT THIS FOOL UP! SHUT HIM UP! SLAP HIM WITH A MONKEY WRENCH AND SEND HIM BACK TO WHEREVER THE HELL HE'S FROM! I THOUGHT THE PALIN CHICK (yes, I said "chick")...WAS A DISGRACE AND COMPLETE SIDESHOW ACT! THIS "JOE THE PLUMBER" CLOWN IS A COMPLETE SLAP IN THE FACE TO ANY AMERICAN MILDLY ENGAGED IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS, MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS ELECTION! OH BUT WAIT...FOR SOME REASON...THERE'S A BUNCH OF MORONS...I MEAN..."JOE THE PLUMBERS...MARY THE MAIDS....TOM THE TAILOR AND FRED THE FIREFIGHTERS ALL OVER THE PLACE THAT THINK THIS JOE GUY REPRESENTS THEM AND ACTUALLY IS WORTH LISTENING TO!
"HEY JOE...YOU'RE A MORON! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A REAL PLUMBER! YOU KNOW NOTHING...NOTHING....NOTHING AT ALL...ABOUT POLITICS!"

NOW HE WANTS TO MAKE A RECORD...GEEZ.....EVERYONE GETS THEIR 15 MINUTES OF FAME I GUESS.


S K A A R

"My friends- "I want my own commercial too!"

---

Just finished watching Obama's prime-time commercial/address/campaign ad. LOVED IT!
Poor McCain....he's just sitting around with his wooden dummy... Palin simply pissed off!
HATIN'! Just HATIN'! Can't wait to hear/read all of the McCain HATIN' that'll come out over the next 24 hours! Damn, he's probably already started.
McCain can't AFFORD a commercial of his own! Well, that's too bad now isn't it?! You can certainly bet, if he did, he'd be airing his commercial as well!

S K A A R

They'll certainly try won't they!

6IX DAYS TO GO!
While a variety of polls suggest that Barack is doing quite well in comparison to McCain, there's still....Sooooo much to worry about. That's not good. Our voters, the young especially, as well as first time voters...how will this all affect them? What am I talking about here? The number of early reports which indicate that there's already been a few attempts to discount votes and/or disqualify voters from voting at all. False flyers and mailings telling people that Democrats actually vote on Wednesday the 5th. University students told they can't vote on campus. People being told that if they show up to vote, police will arrest them if they have any tickets outstanding.
Then there are the fears that on election day, due to the anticipated amount of voters which should turn out, there will be all sorts of gliches and delays with voting booths, organizing the heavy crowds of voters and of course, problems with recording the actual results. Oh so much for the fun democratic way!
I can just imagine the numerous plots being hatched right now designed to disenfranchise thousands if not hundreds of thousands of voters...Voters...who more than likely will be Obama supporters!

S K A A R

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

Alright, here we go. I've been off, here and there...taking some time...getting a few things handled here and there and now...I'M BACK! For those who are SWYMIN' with me, I want to take the time to first, apologize for leaving you all hanging. And second, I'd like to say "THANK YOU" for SWYMIN' with me in the first place and for continuing to do so!

---

ONE WEEK LEFT NOW! ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, AND IT'S ON! IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WIRE IN 5 DAYS! HOPEFULLY, YOU'RE ALL REGISTERED AND FIRED UP...READY TO GO AND GET YOUR VOTE ON!
Just please, keep in mind...YOU MUST PAY ATTENTION TO ALL DETAILS AND ACTIVITY SURROUNDING YOUR ACTUAL VOTING PROCEDURES! MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE HEADED TO VOTE AND BE CERTAIN YOU'RE NOT BAMBOOZLED OR GIVEN BOGUS INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR VOTING RIGHTS. IF YOU'RE PREVENTED FROM VOTING OR ARE TOLD YOU CAN'T VOTE AT A PARTICULAR LOCATION OR FOR A PARTICULAR REASON, BE SURE TO TAKE DOWN ALL INFORMATION YOU'RE TOLD AND BRING IT TO THE ATTENTION OF YOUR LOCAL VOTING RIGHTS OFFICES OR........CALL THE ELECTION PROTECTION COALITION AT: 1-866-OUR-VOTE or VISIT THE WEB-SITE AT: http://www.866ourvote.org/

---

ONE WEEK LEFT:

And it seems that the McCain/Palin team just gets more ridiculous every minute.
"My friends"....poor McCain can't even control his Carribu Barbie! Apparently now, she's gone "ROUGE!" "Off Message!" "Doin' her OWN THANG!" Well, let's look at it like this...she's not as dumb as she looks and has been acting I guess. Seems like she KNOWS their bid is doomed and she's looking forward to her very own presidential run in 2012! Let me see: NO WHERE NEAR QUALIFIED TO BE VICE-PRESIDENT...POSSIBLY QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT??! I DON'T THINK SO. Well...she does have four years...maybe she'll be boning up on her leadership skills with that book she's been seen with tucked under her arm lately: "BEING PRESIDENT FOR DUMMIES!"

As for Barack...I'd like to think that he's got this whole thing locked up! On the real side though...I won't be 100% comfortable until he's actually sworn in and has moved the family into the white house! Then I'll bust out the champagne and start celebrating! As we all know...the Republicans are sure to pull out all the stops and ever possible scam they can in order to steal/take this election so like a lot of people, I'm a bit nervous.

---

---

Apparently, Barack has already got some lunatics out there looking to do him harm.
Well, actually more like a couple of lost, ignorant, low life trailer park, inbred white boys with no sense of self...SKINHEADS...whatever!!
All I can say is...maybe they'll learn some lessons in jail!
Seriously though, as I mentioned above, I'm nervous about Barack getting there, but there's also some fear that some silly fools, or...even worse...some not so silly fools will want to bring him harm!
Let's all keep our thoughts positive!

S K A A R

BEEN A WHILE!

HELLO S.W.Y.M NATION READERS!

It's been a bit since I've been on here...SWIMIN'...saying what's on my mind.
Goodness....maybe my mind is fried. Between little angry man McCain and his ding bat sidekick...and the current economic melt down that's continuing, I think I've been at a loss for words.

Seriously...I've just been a bit tied up and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing...I mean SWYM of things soon!

Stick with me!

In the meantime, feel free to hit me up with your comments, concerns and general opinions on things. Go ahead and SWYM for a little.


C'

Oh goodness...someone shut her up!

We're 15 minutes into it...and Palin has done everything she can thus far to prove that she's in no way prepared to in the position she's in!
Biden is speaking like a man who's familiar with his words, has a grasp on his thoughts and has a sense of what he's talking about. Palin..........is nervous as all hell.....and she's speaking as if she's simply trying her best to spew the crap they loaded her up with in preparation!
Right from the start of course, she starts with talking to "the soccer moms" and "hockey moms!" She's actually using the "dumb", average house wife character as an attempt to make her seem viable!

S K A A R!

And here we go....

Here we go. Tonight, CNN ,the vice presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. (Got to be careful to call her by her full name and title...otherwise, I could be labeled as "sexist" or not being fair!)
I truly believe the debate should be canceled. I mean, aren't there more important things to be done? Shouldn't the candidates suspend their campaigns in the interest of the nation's financial crisis? Shouldn't they both go to D.C. and put the "people" ahead of their own political interests? Wouldn't we all be better served if this debate just didn't happen? I mean, in spite of the media making this out to be "Must See T.V!"...what exactly should we be looking forward to? This debate should be canceled because Sarah Palin should be canceled! It's an outrage at this point! A disgrace to the American people and the entire democratic process! It just continues to get worse and worse! Let McCain have a "do-over!" I don't mind. No biggie! Just send this air brain Alaskan home. She's an insult to the political process. She's an insult to women. She's an insult to men. She's just........AN INSULT in every way! I can't possibly take her serious as a vice-presidential candidate.
Well....here we go....I'm going to watch this...


S K A A R

Delay the debate??!!

Okay, so John McCain is looking to delay the first presidential debate scheduled to air this Friday so that he and Barack can focus on the more pressing issue of...the economy and the proposed "bail out" plan being debated. Is this a John McCain move designed to garner some brownie points because he and his campaign people believe it'll make him look "sensitive" to the needs of the American people, more "bi-partisan" because he wants to "work with Barack" on helping to find a solution, more..."presidential?" I'm sure it's exactly that! In addition, I'm sure he just wants to post-pone the debate a bit so he can try and regain some momentum after taking a bit of a slide this week. This is just an attempt to throw Obama off of his game. A desperate ploy. I'm not buying it.
If ever there was a need to put everything out there, get it all on the table and see what the candidates are about...it's now! Let 'em go head to head and get down to the nitty gritty. McCain's attempt to duck out of this is just further proof the he's in no way ready to lead this country and a majority of his campaign thus far has been run on FLUFF!

S K A A R !

OUT OF TOUCH!?

So let me get this straight:
The Obama family has one car- a Ford...hybrid vehicle.
The McCain's have 13 cars...15, if you count some of the kid's cars.
A few of which are foreign, luxury vehicles!

Obama is the "elitist?" Obama is out of touch with the average American?

Really?

John McCain, too much money in his wife's bank account,
too many cars, too much time in that in that P.O.W. camp!


I'm part of the SWYM NATION and I approve this message!!


Now seriously folks...I could get further into this but the whole car thing is hardly an issue to get up in arms over but hey, I simply wanted to illustrate here how ridiculously out of proportion things can get when low level tactic politicians take any and every small thing about their opponents and make major cases out them!

I'll tell you something that cracks me up:
I keep hearing Palin supporters defend her experience and her nomination as vice president. I hear them defend her and then usually conclude with the following statement:

"SARAH PALIN IS READY TO BE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!"

Okay...here's what I have to say about that:

"SHE NEEDS TO BE READY TO BE PRESIDENT! NOT VICE PRESIDENT!" AND ON THAT NOTE...SHE'S NOT!

S K A A R !

"You go Girl!"

CINDY MCCAIN: $300,000 FASHION STATEMENT! YEP, HER AND JOHN ARE CERTAINLY WITH THE LITTLE PEOPLE! THE AVERAGE FOLKS OF AMERICA!
I'm not hating her because she's wealthy...just the fact that it says a lot that she couldn't just dial it down a bit in the interest of at least "appearing" to be more in touch with the rest of America, patriots that her and hubby are and all!
The America which just reported a total of 605,000 jobs lost so far this year!
Now, to be fair, the ear rings she wore were north of $280,000 and the actual dress, pearls and watch just totaled about $20,000!
Nice!!
CONTRAST THIS WITH MICHELLE OBAMA:
She's gorgeous and quite fashionable! She's been touted as one of the best dressed! Covers of magazines...she's doin' it well!! However, she's not sporting $300,000 wardrobes! On the high end....when she really needs to bring it and go all out...Michelle is said to have spent about $1,200 on a dress! And that's the HIGH SIDE for her!
Weird isn't it...You would think that the so called "ELITIST" Obama's would be having their wardrobes personally done by ARMANI!
Makes one wonder which family is REALLY in touch with the rest of America!


S K A A R!

"I, John McCain, For I, by I...."

So the Republican Convention is over! John McCain took them out with bang. So they seem to think. Or should I say, a few idiots actually believe. Funny how it took all but about 3 minutes into the speech before he started up with the Sept. 11th references! Honestly...I can't hate the guy. I mean, I just don't get the same, disgusting, stomach churning, mental cringe that I get when I see or hear George Bush! This guy McCain, I've got to respect as far as being where he's been and doing what he's done. But that's as far as I'll go. That's as far as anyone should go. Last nights speech was nothing more than a "I'M JOHN MCCAIN, FORMER POW" speech. It was a moving biography and enlightening exposé on the senator's military experiences and where he's come from.
What was missing from the presentation and his speech, was any real substantial policy issues and detailed plans on how exactly he plans to bring about change to Washington D.C. I looked at this speech and simply thought: "Damn, this is the "I" speech!" The whole speech was, I, I, I, I, I! " I come from a military family, I went to war, I was a P.O.W., I'm a maverick...etc.!(the "Maverick" thing by the way is getting boring!) Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't John and the GOP been accusing Barack of being "narcissistic" and all about..."himself??" Seemed the other way around last night yeah? If I recall Barack's speech, most of it was about the people!
But moving right along...It was actually sad to watch Johnny boy's speech. Seeing him up there, struggling to read the teleprompter, clearly needing the teleprompter, looking out to the crowd, trying to sound presidential and just waiting to spit out his quick, wannabe crowd pleasing, cliché one liners! It's quite pathetic.
They can say what they want about Barack giving good speeches and being an excellent orator, but for me...hey...that's what I expect from a leader. Funny though, they've been harassing Barack about being a great speaker, a crowd pleaser, someone who is likeable and draws crowds....and now...the GOP has...SARAH PALIN! All I've heard for the last week in all of the commentary and reporting is how she's "so likeable", she's a "crowd pleaser", she's a "great speaker!"
As for the whole "Soccer Mom" thing and she's got kids...and "she's like us" crap...I find it simply absurd! Then again, I find everything about the Republican party absurd! Watching the crowd of supporters, the look of stupidity on their faces as they cheer and "big up" their party as if there's some real championship caliber track record to be proud of. Listening to these half wit, sheep say things like "John McCain will protect us from the enemy out to get us!" It's got to be embarrassing for them. Think about it, they can't even invite the current leader of their party...Good ol' George had to watch from home! That's got to suck for him! What does that say about the party that's supposed to be the "better" choice?! Eight years earlier, they were all in a convention, cheering, yelling, waving banners and signs for that guy! Swearin' he was a true patriot and experienced leader of good ideas and judgment! YEAH, RIGHT!?
You would think that after that mistake...(T2wice) they would just give up!

S K A A R!

"We don't need no education!"

"What's that Mrs. Palin? You don't believe in "sex education?" Sex education has no business in our schools? You preach abstinence and support abstinence programs?
Well...apparently...the abstinence thing didn't quite work out in your little girl's favor now did it!? Oh, and maybe some "sex education" at HOME would do your family some good!" So as not to be misunderstood: I only bring up Mrs. Palin's daughter and the teen pregnancy thing to illustrate the blatant stupidity of ultra conservative, Republican types like Mrs. Palin who are quick to point their fingers at the so called "Heathen" liberals and make everyone believe that they've got the conservative, moral, "Christian" values thing down to a science and they're perfect!
Under normal circumstances...No, I wouldn't make the teen pregnancy of a candidates daughter a big deal.
It's just hysterical to listen to all of the Republicans now trying to spin this story as a sympathy, "we can all identify with her" tale! "She's a mom, facing real mom problems in life!" Yeah, okay!!
She's that much more endearing now that her little girl is knocked up! Damn, I may have to give up my support for Barack now!

S K A A R !

This woman makes me sick! That permanent, dumb look on her face and that silly Botox smile...makes me want to puke! Well, to be fair, most Republicans inspire that feeling.
Watching them talk and flash those stupid smiles...listening to stupid, brain washed women and men talk about George W. Bush, forced to applaud out of party loyalty each time someone spits out some bullshyt compliment or starts reciting some ode to that moron!

I don't even know where to start. Yes I do. How about:
"This absolutely HAS to be a joke right? They're kidding?"
Let's get right to it: This is the choice for vice president of the United States of America? Should John McCain kick the bucket (a very real possibility) this is the person who will be running our country? Our country at a rather fragile time? We're engaged in an existing war that's bankrupting us with the possibility of maybe another war. The economy is miserable. Our worldwide neighbors hold us in poor favor and many have utter disdain for us. We've got broken relations both abroad and here at home. Our foreign and domestic policies are way out of whack! All of this, and Sarah Palin is the Republican choice for vice president? A second rate beauty queen from Alaska? A woman with ZERO foreign policy experience and no sense of world affairs. A woman with a year and a half of experience in government? A woman who by her own admission has no clue as to what the vice president even does?
Surely, the Democrats, upon hearing this announcement must have all let out a collective and very enthusiastic "YES!!!" "Hell YEAH!!" That night must have included a few bottles of champagne being popped. I can see it now, Barack's campaign strategist and entire staff, anxious, like fighters in some random ancient arena, waiting for the next mystery opponent not sure how hard their next fight may be. Then, the announcement is made and everyone breathes a sigh of relief! Republicans across the country on the other hand must have all been inclined to drink as well. Bottles of whiskey though as opposed to the bubbly joy of champagne.
This woman represents EVERYTHING that John McCain and the Republicans have been chastising Barack Obama for. They're relentlessly attacked him on these issues. They've claimed Barack has not enough experience to be president. She's got less! They claim he's too young, too green. She's younger!
They claimed that he's too charasmatic, too charming, too good looking and likable. 90% of what just about every political analyst and all of the pundits have been saying is that Sarah Palin is "likable", she's attractive and has charm!
Add to that the fact that they're running her based on being a mother and having five children! I'm sorry, but if they're running a woman based on those qualities...wouldn't Angelina Jolie have been a hell of a better pick? Angelina has even got more foreign policy experience. This is just truly sad.
But we all know what this is about. It's about trying to capture the Hillary voters out there. Those women who are still disgruntled and angry over the defeat of their champion. I'll say this: For the McCain camp to do this is a slap in the face to all women. And I'll go further and say that any of the Hillary supporters who would vote for her strictly because she's a woman, are setting women back even that much more.

I've been watching the Republicans who have come out in support of Palin and it's funny. Absolutely comical. Watching them try to defend this woman is like watching Bill Clinton point his finger at the camera and tell all of America he didn't have sex with Monica Lewinsky! Only difference is that Bill we actually believed for those few minutes that he has us in his grasp. When the Republicans get on tv to talk about Palin and some how suggest that she's a reasonable and very qualified pick for vp, you know right away that they're full of shyt and they're almost embarrassed to have to be speaking about her!

This is no longer a competition. A battle. A fight. A worth while competition. This is all a big joke. McCain is desperate. The Republicans are desperate. They know their time is up.

S K A A R !

LET'S JUST SWEAR HIM IN NOW!

FROM THE FROZEN NORTH COMES...

SARAH PALIN? MCCAIN'S PICK FOR VP? "JOHN, YOU'RE KIDDING...RIGHT!??"
Hey, who am I too judge? But, if I HAD to judge...I mean...If I were to say...find faults and pick apart your darling choice...I'd start with the following:

Well, she smoked marijuana! Says she didn't enjoy it...but...I rank that right up there with..."Yeah, I tried it once, but didn't actually inhale!"

Wasn't she some beauty queen or something like that? Ms.ALASKA! Oh wait, she only finished second! Well, that's not a good sign now is it!?
Guess what I'm getting at here is...SHE'S GOT SOME CELEBRITY BLOOD! OH NO!
Some STAR POWER! "John, I thought you detested candidates who could come off as "likeable" and popular and..."celebrity like!" Then again...who the heck ever paid attention to a second place beauty queen contestant from Alaska!?

And of course...there's that whole....AGE AND EXPERIENCE THING that P.O.W. JOHNNY and his boys have been harping on for the longest. "Sorry John, but...haven't you been making the case that Barack is "too young" and "too inexperienced" to lead our country?

Oh wait...I get it! I get it! After last nights convention...after Barack's speech...you and the good ol' boys just said to yourselves..."Ah fu-k it...we're done...doesn't matter who we pick...may as well go out with some fun!"

Or...is this some last ditch effort to win some of Hillary's supporters?

S K A A R !

And so it is! Barack has spoken! I'm speechless! What could McCain, his fellow Republicans and the undecided voters out there possibly say and come back with? SURELY, even they must have been listening to Barack, saying..."DAMN!"
We'll go SWYMIN' TOMORROW!

He's a "Rock Star!" a "Celebrity!" AND?

Okay...so enough is enough already! Time for me to SWYM...seriously:
I'm SICK AND TIRED of all of the talk about Barack being such a celebrity! Sick of it! It's absolutely, 100% fu--ing ridiculous! Of all the things the Republicans and any other Barack Hater can come up with it's that he's LIKEABLE?? He's CHARISMATIC??
He's GOOD LOOKING?? A GREAT SPEAKER?? CHARMING?? He DRESSES WELL?? He's ENGAGING WHEN HE SPEAKS?? He's INSPIRING?? He's GREGARIOUS?? He DRAWS BIG CROWDS?? People WANT TO HEAR HIM SPEAK?? People are DRAWN TO HIM?? He' FRESH AND EXCITING?? Even people in OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE HIM??


AND?????????

Seriously! This is not someting Barack can stop. He can't help who he is! And why would he want to? Dont' we want and need a leader with those qualities? I mean, are you trying to tell me that the Republicans have all been huddled up saying:
"You know what...good thing we stick with old, frumpy, boring white dudes that have ZERO charisma and ZERO likeability! Can't believe those Democrats want to run someone who can actually speak, draw crowds and has something to say! They actually like that guy! That sucks!

Come on! WTF?? Anyone of the belief that somehow, all of Barack's energy and his public label of "rockstar" is in some way a bad thing and that his celebrity status and likeability disqualify him from being a viable candidate for leadership...YOU SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO VOTE!! Period! THERE, I SAID IT! And I'll gladly get into my feelings on HAVING THE RIGHT TO VOTE in an up-coming post! Stay tuned!

S K A A R !

Joe Biden did a wonderful job last night in the spotlight as the official vp nominee.
Loved the speech. Particularly the more personal first 8 minutes or so where he spoke of his mother and the cameras showed her sitting in the audience, proudly watching. The surprise ending with Barack taking the stage was sort of...well...I kind of guessed he might show up! Best part though: Barack mentioning "Mama Biden!"

S K A A R

Well, that's that. The Clintons have spoken. Hillary on Tuesday night followed by Bill Wednesday night. The anxiety is over. In Denver, the cool, sweeping winds whispering words of discontent, disconnect and division among Democrats have finally subsided and laid rest outside. Hillary is cool with Barack and so is Bill. They've thrown their support behind him. The lingering questions about their support and whether they would truly get behind him have been answered. Even if only for the time being. If deep down inside, the two of them are hating Barack, well, that's their business and not really relevant now. What's relevant, is the fact that they both gave rousing, inspiring speeches and did what was necessary to ignite the flames of unity and set the Democrats on course for victory in November.
If I may SWYM for a second here: I was truly HATING both Hillary and Bill! Hillary just ticked me off throughout the primaries and Bill, who I previously admired, got me ticked off with him when he began showing his "true" color (not black by the way!) when he was out stumping for his wife. Half of me sort of understands that he'd get gangster for his wife, but...still...I just didn't like how he was coming off and what he was saying. I'm sure that I'm not the only person to have the same feelings. Last night however, we all got to look at Bill again and admire him for who he is, what he represents and what he does so well. He galvanized the troops, laid in to John McCain and the Republicans and eloquently reassured us that any type of real change and a worth while future rests in the promise of Barack Obama as President

9:09 PM-HE'S OFF TO A GREAT START...STAY TUNED!

P.O.W. Pride!

Dude, Listen: Having P.O.W. on your resumé does not, I REAPEAT, does NOT qualify you to run this country. In fact, I'll go a step further and just say that I think it serves to "disqualify" you based on the fact that in my opinion, being locked up in a hole for five years certainly must have had an impact on that mind of yours. That, combined with your deteriorating mental health due to age, surely should remove you from the running, not make the country feel sorry for you and elect you president!

You're next Joe!

Okay, so tonight, besides the hype surrounding Bill Clinton and what exactly he'll say, Barack Obama's pick for VP, Sen. Joe Biden is going to have his turn at the podium as well! This will be Joe Biden's second major public speaking event since being chosen by Barack for the vp slot. I'm hoping Joesph picks up where Hill dog left off last night and commences to putting a whoopin' on "Super Dumb Dumb" and his sidekick..."POW Johnny!" No room for Mr. Nice guy tonight! No need to take any high roads! Straight for the jugular Joe, straight for the juglar! Let the world get to know you...spend a few minutes on the nice, political, soft style stuff...endear the audience to you and your family...kiss Barack's butt a bit...SELL,SELL, SELL BARACK! And then....Get in there and whoop some G.O.P ass! Hey, that's not too bad a name....Let's call him Juglar Joe! From what we know of Joe, he's quite the chatter box...oh, and the man is quite articulate if I might add!
We'll see what happens later tonight!

Great job Hill! Now "What cha' gonna do Billy?"

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Sitting down, watching all of the pre-coverage, listening to all of the pundits, political analyst and media correspondents, I wasn't exactly sure how last night's speech would turn out or whether or not it would be genuine enough to be truly persuasive to the undecided voters and her core supporters. Seems I wasn't alone in my anxiety and speculation as to whether Hillary Clinton would use the moment as a last hurrah for herself, a feminist rally cry and self serving night in the spotlight, or whether she would give up the air of arrogance, concede entirely and make it clear to her hard core supporters that her time was over and it was time to get behind Barack 100%! When it was all over, I let go of that doubt. She took the stage in a bright orange pants suit and delivered what has so far been the best moment of the convention. Hillary made an outstanding speech, moved her audience with words of wisdom, patriotism, hope and unity and ultimately made the case that this country needs Barack Obama to lead our country and we need John McCain to retreat to one of his homes somewhere and stay there!
In addition to wondering whether or not her speech would be sincere in it's efforts to unify the party behind Barack Obama, there was also concern, at least on my part, as to whether or not Hillary would bring a bit of "fight" and that scrappy spirit of hers to the convention. Monday nights events, while at times poignant and touching, left many wondering why there was no real attacks on the enemy! Well, Hillary certainly made sure she laid a few zingers in there and definitely tagged up McCain and Bush with some jabs that are probably still stinging today! Nice job Mrs. Clinton. But, while I believe she did a great job and gave a wonderful speech, let me SWYM for a second and also make mention that...somehow, I still believe that a lot of her "act" was based on the strategic plan of knowing that it would be political suicide to come with anything less. She served the Democrats well last night and she served Barack well. But, at the same time, she was well aware that her appearance and her speech would set her up for the next go around!
Now, the anxiety sets in again. There's all of this talk that old Billy boy hasn't quite gotten over his wife's defeat. He's still a bit sore. A bit pissed off that he won't be roaming the halls of the white house, welcoming the new interns and giving them the... guided tour! There's talk that William isn't too thrilled with Barack Obama. So tonight, old Willy is going to be speaking at the convention, trying to move the audience to the same emotional outpour as his wife. Hopefully, he'll be able to put aside his personal pride and sore loser mentality and just give it all he's got and shine as he did when he was once considered the first black president!

SEALED THE DEAL! HILLARY COMES THROUGH!

Well, Hillary "knocked it out of the ballpark!" I agree with the current captain of the SWYM team Keith Olberman's first comment on air after her speech!
I must applaud her for a very, very moving, effective and hopefully unifying speech!
More to come on Wednesday!

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Hillary, Hillary! Oh what will Hillary say this evening?

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Tuesday night-9:45pm: Not long now before Hillary takes the podium at the Democratic National Convention.
The question on everyone's mind is...What will she say? How will she behave? What signal will she give off? Is this the final hurrah? Will she sincerely get behind Barack and show her support? Or...will this turn out to be some half ass stump speech by a sore loser who at this point, really has no choice? We shall see...
One thing's for sure...and you may not hear this too often hear at SWYM NATION but...
We actually wouldn't mind if Hillary decided to stay out of the water and not SWYM tonight!

DNC-NEEDS SOME SWYMIN' LESSONS!

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"GET OUT THERE AND START THROWING PUNCHES!"

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Well, the Democratic National Convention kicked off last night in Denver with plenty of pre-prime time fanfare and hoopla to be expected for any political rally of sorts. Speakers of the night included Nancy Pelosi, Michelle Obama's brother Craig Robinson, Barack Obama's half sister Maya Soetero-Ng, Caroline Kennedy and her uncle Sen. Edward Kennedy in his second public appearance since being diagnosed and treated for a brain tumor back in May. Nancy Pelosi may has well have been reading a culinary instruction guide on how to properly shuck and boil corn. For the "speaker of the house" to be so damn boring when speaking is just...bad. Sen. Kennedy's touching video tribute and his very appearance on stage afterward were the highlights of the hour. His rousing speech which followed was the defining moment of the evening and did more than just bring a few tears to eyes. It was a truly inspiring speech of courage, strength and determination from someone who in spite of all odds, is committed to continuing his presence in politics as a champion for change.
Michelle Obama closed out the evening with a touching, heart felt speech meant to enlighten people about her humble beginnings as well as her husbands.
Overall, I think she did well. Looked great and of course, the kids just added that much more.
However...The Democrats are going to have to get their stuff together if they really want to make an impact on the undecided voters out there. First off, I think Michelle should have spoken a hell of a lot earlier than after 10:30 pm E.S.T.
And, more importantly, there needed to be some real fire spit out regarding the current administrations failed policies and miserable leadership. More specificallly, there needed to be some real attack heat put on regarding John McCain!
Listening to most of the analysts this morning, many seem to agree that the democrats may have in fact wasted the night with absolutely no effort given toward dismantaling John McCain and the Republican machine that continues to beat up on Barack relentlessly. I think a healthy combination was in order. Yes, Michelle needed to highlight her and her husbands "normalcy" and profiles as being regular Americans who struggled to make it where they are. In additon though, there needed to be much more attention on spelling out the contrasts between Barack and McCain. There needed to be some emphasis on calling out the Bush administration and how it links to McCain.
A solid half and half approach would have served best. We'll see what happens tonight!

SKAAR!
WATCH MICHELLE OBAMA'S SPEECH HERE:

No Tiger lurking in the Woods!

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SO...How happy are Phil Mickelson and the rest of the gang...knowing that there's no...TIGER around to compete for the FEDEX CUP?!

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"Ummm, sorry Phil, even with me not around...I'll still be in your head!"

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Let's get a shot of Phil SWYMIN':

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"What? Am I happy he's not going to be playing? You're damn right I'm happy! Maybe now I can win this thing!"

READ UP ON HIM!

LISTEN UP: IF YOU'RE AN OBAMA SUPPORTER AND YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING AROUND TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT HE IS AND HOW WONDERFUL HE'D BE AS PRESIDENT AND HOW HE REPRESENTS CHANGE AND IS THE FUTURE OF POLITICS...IF YOU BELIEVE THAT HE'S THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES...IF YOU'RE AFRICAN AMERICAN AND YOU'RE HOPING TO SEE THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT...IF YOU'RE WHITE AND WANT TO SEE THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT...IF YOU'RE SITTING WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY...DISCUSSING BARACK AND HOW WONDERFUL HE IS AND IF YOU'RE GENERALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE UP COMING ELECTION...WELL THEN...I CERTAINLY HOPE YOU HAVE ALREADY READ BOTH OF HIS BOOKS!! IF YOU HAVEN'T...YOU NEED TO! NO POINT IN JUMPING ON THE BAND WAGON AND GETTING BEHIND A PERSON WITHOUT TRULY TAKING THE TIME TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY COME FROM.

I ENCOURAGE ANY AND EVERYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN THIS COUNTRY'S POLITICS AND THE UP COMING ELECTION, TO LEARN AS MUCH ABOUT THE CANDIDATES...THE ONE'S YOU SUPPORT, AS WELL AS THOSE YOU OPPOSE. INFORMATION IS KEY! KNOWING WHO YOU'RE VOTING FOR AND HAVING A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF THAT PERSON SHOULD BE ABSOLUTELY KEY TO FORMING YOUR OPINIONS.

AND IF CAN JUST SWYM FOR A SECOND: I THINK IT'S RIDICULOUS WHEN PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS POLITICS, EXPRESS THEIR POLITICAL OPINIONS AND ACT AS IF THEIR OPINION MATTERS WHEN THEY HAVEN'T EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND THEM. HAVEN'T ACTUALLY READ OR STUDIED UP ON ANYTHING REGARDING THE NUMEROUS CANDIDATES. READ NEWSPAPERS DAILY OR CATCH THE NEWS! VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS AND VARIOUS NEWS CHANNELS! THERE'S A TON OF INFORMATION SOURCES OUT THERE! USE THEM!
DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ OR GET TOO CAUGHT UP IN OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVES. USE THE INFORMATION AS A STARTING POINT, A GUIDE TO FORMING YOUR OWN OPINIONS AND SHAPING YOUR OWN PERSPECTIVES.
IF MORE PEOPLE WERE PAYING ATTENTION AND ACTUALLY TAKING THE TIME TO GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES...WE WOULDN'T STILL HAVE A BUNCH OF IDIOTS OUT THERE THINKING THAT BARACK IS AN UNPATRIOTIC, ANTI-AMERICAN MUSLIM!

Congratulations Michael Phelps!
Definitely the greatest Olympian...or shall say most decorated Olympian ever!
No question! The boy is good! HOWEVER....allow ME to SWYM some here on the subject:
Greatest athlete of all time?? Ummm....I think not. A bit pre-mature to be crowning him that! Can someone say...."TIGER WOODS!"

A black backlash against Obama?

Despite what Obama has said, his presidency could provoke a black backlash because the expectations are so high, others say.

African-Americans who would expect a President Obama to be a vigorous advocate for their cause -- may be disappointed by Obama's approach to race if he becomes president, some say.

Paul Street, author of the forthcoming book on Obama, says Obama may be a symbol of bold racial change but he is personally cautious about race. A President Obama won't want to appear to favor blacks because he might lose political support if he appears as the "angry black man" in the White House.

Street says Obama understands that risk and has run as a "race-neutral" candidate who talks about racial oppression as something largely confined to the past.

"Barack plays a very active role in damping down race consciousness," Street says. "Race neutrality is one of the great characteristics of his campaign."

African-Americans may also be disappointed by an Obama presidency because they may have forgotten what Obama is -- a politician, says David Sirota, author of "The Uprising, "a book that examines how populist movements in America shape public policy changes.

"He's like any politician. He's cautious," Sirota says. "He's a potential vehicle for change, and I think he is a good vehicle, but he is just a vehicle."

OKAY...people...

The above is an excerpt from an article posted on CNN.com a few weeks back.

After reading it...I could only shake my head and wonder what the heck some people are thinking! I actually posted this blog a few weeks back some where else but, thought it definitely needed to be posted here at SWYM NATION!
So, here goes:

Here again we have another example of a few black Americans being so damn ridiculous it actually pains me myself to have to admit to being one! I speak not about all black people, but clearly the ones so damn ignorant that their thought process would lead them down this narrow minded path of stupidity when it comes to assessing Barack Obama and his potential role as leader of the so called free world.

Of COURSE he's got to play race neutral. Why shouldn't he?! And, in fact, he's a man of mixed ethnicity anyway!
His success thus far has had very much to do with the fact that he's not necessarily a "black man"...with an ax to grind....holdin' it down for the oppressed brothas and sistas of America. He's a black man...yes....anyone can see that. However....he's been effective at being so engaging and respected NOT because of his color but because of WHO HE IS AS A MAN!
He's highly intelligent. Well spoken...Eloquent. Gregarious, likeable.
He's a thinker and someone people respect as a leader. If he were white...he'd STILL be a viable candidate for the presidency and I'd still vote for him.

The last thing he needs to do is to get fired up and start preaching in some old school, civil rights movement type of fashion.

It's not about a "black man" getting into office and serving only us black folk! It's about BARACK OBAMA a man who happens to be..."black".... getting into office and serving the needs of our country. People can't expect him to run around campaigning on issues of "black" interest.
Should he be discussing the miserable conditions plaguing many black men and women in this country? The so called "justice" system? Should he discuss police brutality and racial profiling? Should he say he's going to "clean up the hood" and make things better in the inner cities? Should he be talking about racism on a whole? NO! Does it mean that he shouldn't make some or all of these issue a part of his agenda upon becoming elected? Yes. Hell yes! Most certainly!

So as to make my point clear: I'm not saying that Barack should abandon us brothas and sistas in any way...or sell out in some fashion to appeal to the white majority. .I'm simply saying that, he's got to be smart enough to make his way into the white house without coming off as an old school, angry "civil rights" leader who is only concerned or rather...primarily concerned with black people.

He's got to navigate the waters as an "everybody" candidate...for the people....all people!

"Come on now Jesse! You can't be talkin' 'bout cuttin' Barack's nutz off on t.v.! Save that shyt for when you're home brotha! And why the hell are you hatin' on my man Barack anyway!? I know him, he aint never done anything wrong to me! You keep talkin' that mess and I'll have Nelly back here cut your nutz off!"
CHRIS ROCK-SWYMIN'!

SWYM HILLARY, SWYM!

Hillary baby, SWYM! What you really want to say is "YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I'M KEEPING MY DELEGATES AND YES, I'M COMING TO THE CONVENTION AND MY NAME WILL REMAIN ON THE BALLOT! I'M HILLARY CLINTON DAMMIT! YOU BETTER SHOW SOME RESPECT MR.OBAMA! I'VE BEEN DOWN WITH THE BLACKS LONG BEFORE YOUR YELLOW ASS! I'M MARRIED TO A BLACK MAN FOR GOODNESS SAKES!"

WILLIAM, NOT EXACTLY SWYMING! YEAH?

JOHN EDWARDS...BUSTED & SWYMING...WELL...AT LEAST...TRYING TO SAY WHAT HE MEANS...THROUGH A WRITTEN STATEMENT!

KEITH, GIVIN' IT TO RUSH! RUSH, DOING THE BACK STROKE! SINKING!

LOVE HIM, HATE HIM...JERMIAH SWYMING!
WE'RE NOT HERE TO CONDEMN HIM OR SUPPORT HIM.
JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW SWYMIN' CAN SOMETIMES
DROWN A PERSON! (ALMOST TOOK BARACK DOWN INTO THE
WATER WITH HIM!)

WESLEY CLARK SWYMING! I'VE SAID IT LONG AGO
I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE TO THINK IT!
WESLEY WAS THE FIRST TO BRING IT UP AND ADDRESS
IT IN THE MEDIA! WHILE MCCAIN CERTAINLY DESERVES
RESPECT FOR HIS MILITARY RECORD, GETTING SHOT DOWN
AND CAUGHT BY THE SO CALLED ENEMY, DOESN'T EXACTLY
QUALIFY A PERSON TO RUN A COUNTRY!
S.W.Y.M MR. CLARK!

WELL NOW...JESSE JACKSON, ANXIOUS TO JOIN US HERE AT S.W.Y.M!
I'M GLAD THIS CAME OUT. GLAD THE MIC WAS ON AND HE GOT BUSTED!
IF ONLY WE COULD SECRETLY TURN SOME MICROPHONES ON IN
THE WHITE HOUSE OR MCCAIN'S JET OR BETTER YET...THE CLINTON HOUSEHOLD!

"Black And Screwed In America!"

So a few weeks back, CNN debuted it's highly anticipated series called BLACK IN AMERICA, hosted by CNN's own Soledad O'Brien. (The first person I think about when I think of "Black Americans!") I wasn't particularly excited about it. For whatever reason, the commercials building up the show in the preceding weeks seemed to just....fall short of making me feel like I had better schedule some t.v. time that night and plop down to watch it or at the very least, set up the dvr to record it. I just wasn't compelled and the commercials really didn't peak my interest. Well, after a few weeks, and being bombarded with the commercial over and over again, a bit of interest did kick in and I simply wanted to see how CNN would present such a production. I was curious as to what angle they were going to take, what format, how it would be presented.So on the scheduled night.......9:30 pm rolls around and I realize that I had missed the first half hour. (Was spending time with my son and putting him to bed for the night!) I headed downstairs to the great room, fired up the receiver and the television, took a seat and prepared to be amazed. Let me say...AMAZED I was! Misery! Hopelessness! Negativity! Stress!

I won't bother to go through each segment and dissect the entire two part series. I refuse. And if I did, this would be a long ass blog! Instead, I'll just say....

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THE POINT!!!?"

As part 1 wrapped up that evening...I figured to myself...in CNN's defense..."Hey, maybe tomorrow will be the flip side to all of this negativity!" or..."Maybe I missed all the positive stuff in the first half hour!"NOPE! Not even! ROUND 2....the next night...(which I made sure to catch right from the beginning)....was just as MISERABLE!Besides the half ass...boring "Spoken Word" dude used between segments to somehow, stereotype our culture even further, the overall content of the series was so damn pathetic it's a wonder they didn't just title it "BLACK and DOOMED IN AMERICA!"

I mean seriously, is it just me...or was that some truly depressing journalism? What was the big idea? To point the lens at Black America and record all of the gloom and negativity associated with being black?! Never have I seen such a bleak, miserable, disgustingly depressing picture painted of African Americans! Anyone watching that program, black, white or whatever would surely have had to say...

"DAMN, THEY GOT IT PRETTY BAD!" "WHOA, THEY'RE PRETTY SCREWED !"

The women are screwed! The unemployed and uneducated as well as the well educated well off successful career women! The men are screwed! The uneducated, unemployed and the well educated, well off living in the burbs men! The little girls are screwed as well as the boys! I don't care how it's spinned it was a total picture of MISERY and BULLSHYT! I imagine...that maybe...that was the point of the program. To simply illustrate the hardships of being..."Black in America" and show just how difficult it is! Well....."THANK YOU" CNN!

The only thing more surprising than CNN's coverage and reporting was the fact that it wasn't a report produced and aired by our ridiculous friends over at BET!

SKAAR!

Experience Vs. Judgement?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Judgment matters more than experience when it comes to picking a president… so says Republican Senator Chuck Hagel.
The Nebraska senator traveled with Barack Obama into the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan last week. Hagel, a Vietnam vet who earned 2 purple hearts, says experience does matter, but that character and judgment matter more. That includes: who the candidate listens to and if he can make the right decisions on behalf of his country and the world.
Hagel has been a sharp critic of the war in Iraq and has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate for Barack Obama. He hasn't endorsed either Obama or John McCain, but says Americans are lucky to have a choice between these two "smart, capable and decent men."
Also traveling with Obama was another military man, Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island. Reed, a retired Army captain, talked about what it was like visiting military posts with Obama. He described it as "dynamic", saying they couldn't get to their car because soldiers were flocking to Obama to get autographs, take a picture, say hello. Reed says Obama received genuine and enthusiastic responses from the troops.
McCain has used the same line Hillary Clinton used against Barack Obama during the primaries, saying he doesn't have enough experience to be commander-in-chiefHere's my question to you: Is judgment more important for a president than experience?

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Well my SWYM NATION friends, here's my take on this:


George Bush- He was governor of Texas for two terms! 8 years! Texas is the second largest state in the country in both area and in population! His daddy was the 41st President of the United States. His brother Jeb, served as governor of Florida for two full terms!Seems like ol' Cowboy George there would have a leg up when it comes to "EXPERIENCE" in government matters and all! Seems like experience....runs in the family! YET STILL:

THIS GUY IS A MORON AND WILL PROBABLY GO DOWN...

NO...SCRATCH THAT....HE'LL MOST CERTAINLY GO DOWN AS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE U.S. IN EVERY CATEGORY!How's that for EXPERIENCE!

NOW...Let's look at BARACK:

Barack Obama-Elected to the Illinois Senate and served as State Legislator for 7 years! U.S. Senator for past 3 1/2 years.As you can see, Barack doesn't necessarily have a ton of experience behind him.Oh, and he of course doesn't have an entire family in politics! Well, now...where does that leave him?

A HELL OF A LOT BETTER OFF THAN GUN-SLINGIN' G.W.!

CONCLUSION:
Experience is not always the pre-requisite guarantee to doing something well...like say..."RUNNING THE COUNTRY!" While we're here examining qualifications, let me get into this whole MILITARY experience thing now as well. According to the Republicans and a whole lot of those...simple minded, ultra-patriotic, bible totting, red-necks and low level educated, NRA card carrying morons..... "Military" Experience is the be all to end all when it comes to being qualified to run the so called "most powerful nation in the world!" Well first allow me to point out that the current president....a REPUBLICAN'T........has ZERO real military experience! Funny how they didn't apply that standard to him now isn't it!? So by that logic, Barack's lack of military experience should have little to do with his ability to govern our country. Bush on the other hand has demonstrated though that with zero military experience you can still wage war and kill people! The current shit talkin', self proclaimed bad ass is JOHN "Insane" McCAIN!

I won't even bother getting into his military record or bother trying to belittle his service to the country. He comes from a military family and they're certainly patriotic. No doubt about that. But let me point out as Gen Wesley Clark has pointed out as well: Getting shot down and captured...becoming a P.O.W doesn't actually qualify one to run a country! I have been saying this for some time now myself and just dying for someone in the public spotlight to say it themselves.

Having the intelligence, foresight and excellent JUDGMENT on the other hand does somewhat put you in a better position to call the shots so to speak! Like say when it comes to Voting AGAINST the invasion of IRAQ long before it was fashionable to do so! Having the ability to think things through and exercise some real...judgment before invading a country and sending our men and women to die! Now that trumps military experience any day! Intelligence and Judgment allow for a less experienced person to humble themselves and faithfully seek the guidance of those around them to help in situations where experience may be lacking. We can't all be experts in everything now can we!??? An idiot on the other hand thinks he knows EVERYTHING and regardless of what he's told, acts on pure ignorance with a "YAHOO" gun slangin' mentality and a tough guy attitude which amounts to nothing more really than a childish, immature inability to simply back down! I don't know about you...but I say experience of course is a good thing, but only when it's coupled with good, solid judgment and the ability to think through difficult decisions.

SKAAR!