Hillary showed off her life long experience and devotion last night with a wonderfully powerful "to the point, laying the facts on the line" speech, which will be underscored by Bill Clinton, who possesses the "Kavorkya" when it comes to political discourse. They have displayed one fact - buyers' remorse that this Democrat party deserves.

Hillary showed she knows all the facts, and during the debate season knew how to respond with truthfulness as to handling this country's problems, especially with regard to the Iraq war (Biden agrees with Hillary, mind you). Unfortunately, this Democrat party was hijacked by the radical left wing who can't handle the truth!

They are going down the McGovern Carter yellow brick road that “wishes problems away” in the hope the world would just suddenly “be the way it should be” like magic, while polls show Hillary with a 49-43 advantage over McCain as Barack's lead slips to a dead heat.

One good thing will come from this convention; we can now tell our children if they run a lemonade stand, they too can become President, because we are nominating a community organizer with the background credentials of Sonny Carson.

Fortunately, the Democrats will control both houses of Congress with large margins, tying the hands of a Republican President. Vote McCain and wait for the 2012 train to undo the mess the Democrats (and Hillary) have made now.

David DiBello

“There was an Old Senator”

By David DiBello

There was an old Senator

Who need not live in a shoe

Fact he had so many homes

Was it many or just a few?

He felt three million dollars

Was just petty cash

And those growths on his skin

Were all part of a rash

He served our country

With dignity and pride

And came home to celebrate

With a girl on the side

He once was associated

With the Keating Five

At a point in his life

When he wanted to run and hide

He thought the economy

Was doing just fine

And all those complaints

Nothing more than a sour whine?

He wants Oil Companies

To drill, drill, drill

While consumers and taxpayers

All foot the bill

Against Bush Tax cuts

But then changed his mind

A balanced budget

Is for a faraway time

And a hundred year war

Is all part of the deal

As Republicans gear for Election Day

And another big steal?

David DiBello

Just as one can pass laws against prejudice yet can’t control how people think, every sound bite, stage show, and gimmickry can be pursued to create an image of the Clintons supporting Obama and having party uniting; it still will not change how Hillary’s supporters will vote.

One first has to ask why Hillary seemingly walked away so easily after the primary season. Was something promised? I can’t believe Mrs. Clinton walked away quietly into the night with nothing in hand, 50% of the primary vote and resentment over a nomination that should have been hers. A mere primetime convention speaking engagement is not enough.

Thus we have phase one of “the negotiation” (in lieu of a better term) on behalf Hillary’s campaign in demanding a roll call vote. We have chants of “Hillary can still win.” Mrs. Clinton is calling for a strong role to play and respect for her supporters during the convention. Bill is damning with faint praise Obama’s readiness for the Presidency. Seeing a fractured party is not in Barack’s best interest.

He will try to hedge Hillary supporters with “trial balloons” of an Evan Bayh selection, someone Mrs. Clinton considered as her number two. He will beseech Hillary’s endorsers to campaign on his behalf, like Mayor Rendell of Pennsylvania or Senator Schumer of New York. These ploys will fall on deaf ears to Hillary’s clan. Even Hillary’s lukewarm, sporadic pleas cannot maintain her supporter’s resentment.

Obama is currently in a statistical dead heat in the polls and shrinking. If he chooses to go the “non Hillary” route, he is placing a lot of weight on his debate performance against a candidate most Americans trust more, is more experienced and feel more capable of handling foreign affairs.

He has an uphill fight trying to hold onto a group of his party that polls show a possible 35% will bolt to McCain, when a modest 10% slippage (1.8 million votes) will be a death knell. His liberal base might object, but they have nowhere else to turn; they definitely won’t vote McCain.

Barack is looking at a campaign season trying to recapture Clinton supporters when he should be claiming new voters in Red States and independents all around. Meanwhile Bill and Hillary will be out there spreading the message of “We Think He Can” while calculating strategies for 2012.

Obama might want to wish this away, but it’s best he come to terms with the fact he is not the unanimous selection. The other half of the vote, the ones he needs, lies elsewhere; the ones he needs to convince by only one method, otherwise he might see his Presidential aspirations fade like a dream. His choice couldn’t be clearer.

David DiBello

It’s the Inaugural Ball 2009 and introductions are being made; “Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President and Mrs. Edwards, and Mrs. Edwards-elect, Riley Hunter!” The man who aspired to one of the highest offices in the world failed to do a projection of his narcissism. In his best thinking he determined his running for President would be a good time to start an affair.

I would think there are better forms of stress reduction than adultery, and the path he chose is now creating even more tension, as he goes from potential VP selection to political oblivion. Is this the thought process adhered to by the often spoken about mill working father? Is it possible while thinking of his circumstances, his wife Elizabeth might be saying “hey buddy, I’m the one who’s dying here?” How’s that for stress.

The male ego, gluttony and greed: three recipes for disaster, or an overinflated sense of self worth at the expense of all and everybody else. Is this the man we want in charge of National Security and our Economic interests?

It’s sad because this is a man who had promise and potential, and talked a good game. He stood for the oppressed and working class and talked if their struggle was his own. He was a man of humble beginnings and allegedly equal mindset. He reminds us of another populist leader, Sen. Ted Kennedy, who stood for the downtrodden and oppressed minorities, people he would never have over his home for dinner, but would let prune his shrubbery and mow his lawn. A Senator, as history has shown, suffers from the same disease to a criminal extent. Can you say “Chappa…Chappa….” Thankfully he had Cousin William K. Smith and a Palm Beach resort to recoup from further escapades.

During the Bill Clinton travesty, Edwards called the President’s behavior “despicable;” be careful at whom you throw stones. This brings us to mind the actions of the 42^nd President, a lifelong philanderer and sexual addict (how convenient) whose professional judgment was to receive some oral gratification while on the phone to Yassar Arafat. How kinky! One can understand how a President can’t show up at the local Motel Six, but wouldn’t it have been wiser to find another spot than the Oval office, not to mention time better spent arresting Osama Bin Laden?

Elliot “not to be confused with Ness” Spitzer, after enduring years of a stick figure, narrowed jaw and hallowed hairline thought the fruits of his labor finally paid off – he can get some! Who cares that he would lock up others for doing the same, blurring the line between cop and criminal?

It’s an allergy that our staid Republicans have picked up on over the years, what with Mayor “comb over” Giuliani having multiple affairs before finally getting one that clicked, Senator Vitter’s (Louisiana) idea of a men’s club as congregating with anything but men while New Orleans sank, and Sen. Craig practicing his hand signs in a men’s room while writing his next anti gay manifesto.

House pages and congressional staff are prey for politicians and all at risk. One day they might be in a position to return the favor in blackmail against the elected officials who hold this nation’s security and purse strings in their palms.

We are electing men who can’t keep it in their pants. Carrying the mantle of office holder with Americans interest at stake is not enough of a challenge, enough of a prize; the title of office holder seen as the greatest ice breaker to getting into another’s pants.

What about the sanctity of the American trust? What about virtue, and high ideals and values, or doing what one was hired to do?

Hey, whatever works!

David DiBello

I was reminded of this as I watched Barack Obama give his speech before a throng of Germans that made one reminiscent of Dr. King’s speech before a DC crowd decades ago. The speech was wonderful, with a highlight being his declaration of love for America in spite of our mistakes. It gave those overseas a sense that we as a people have humility; we are not the heavy handed tyrants in foreign affairs portrayed over the last eight years.

But why was this man delivering this speech and what weight did it have? He is not an elected leader, so there is no power behind his punch. In time if not elected he will just be some weird guy who came to Europe in a “meet and greet” beauty tour that Europeans can tell about to their grandchildren.

Obama is walking a fine line between Presidential and Pretentious. Meeting world leaders and touring countries, meeting citizens in small groups and listening to their grievances is all part of a “getting to know you” strategy needed to be seen capable of being in charge with foreign policy credentials.

However addressing the masses for the whole world to see and telling them what to expect while simultaneously reminding them he isn’t in the White House yet might have crossed that line in the sand. Obama returns to America, the land where any other Democrat would have an eighteen point lead in these times of economic demise, seeing his lead over McCain actually narrow to a virtual dead heat with his opponent, while losing ground amongst independents.

While many Americans feel each candidate is equally arrogant, many believe arrogance of self confidence to be good, whereas an arrogance of taking voters for granted, which is what Obama presumes, to be insulting. Like Jose Reyes of the Mets, Obama seems bored with the need to campaign against the old guy, and wants to start making plans to paint the town red, and the White House black and it’s still only summer. Yes Ludicrous would not make a good VP selection, and is just another on the list of people Obama will need to disown.

His four point cushion, which has been consistent over the weeks, makes his VP selection scream “Hillary,” the candidate that holds the other half of the 36 million votes cast in the Democrat primary, and where any alienation of her voter base will be certain victory for McCain. Add to this the large number of undecided voters that could break either way providing a major surprise for either candidate, and we have a tossup election again, something where Democrats haven’t fared well recently. Of course Democrats have made many foolish mistakes in past nominees and campaigns, and having a candidate walk around like he has already won might be right up there with all the others.

David DiBello

Long before the Republican think tank, led by the free talking articulate Phil Gramm, revealed their true mindset, being we workin’ folk are nothing more than a bunch of whining er…witches, the common belief of the GOP is that they stand for big business only. Yet under the rules of “give them another chance” we fell for the big talk of mom and apple pie under the guise of anti flag burning and “save our straight marriages” amendment, and were enthralled with the heavy handed John Wayne / Ronald Reagan cowboy mentality, even if John Wayne and Ronald Reagan only served in the movies. Republicans certainly talk the talk, but are rarely there to do the heavy lifting.

Their new savior, or snake oil salesman, was George W. Bush, a one term governor who seemed to work well with the other side of the aisle (being outnumbered in Texas)and spoke of a conservatism that reached out to the people Phil Gramm has a distaste. We believed the big tent would include us wee folk, the kind that do the daily grind getting those profits for the aristocracy, because candidate Bush spoke of fairness and inclusion in the American dream.

First we had to stand lock step for a big tax cut, the kind we saw during Reaganomics which was great for awhile, then ended in a Black Monday overdose in 1987. A funny thing happened on the way to supply side heaven this time: we weren’t getting trickled on. The Global Economy panacea worked against the American wage earner, the little guy with eyes glowing and hands held out in anticipation. The big guy got the first slice of the pie – a big slice – but this time there were no crumbs leftover.

The remedy? We tightened restrictions on the filing of bankruptcies by irresponsible people, the 80% who ran up credit debt to cover medical bills under our current healthcare arrangement that needed to be reined in. What about the usury of lending institutions? Nothing. When it comes to big business and interest – the sky is the limit.

There was some light. We munchkins were awarded a Medicare prescription program because George suddenly could feel our pain, that and he couldn’t get the Republicans in Congress to block Americans from buying overseas drugs.

When big business is at risk, no amount of Government intervention, the kind that causes an enormous overdraft of the nations’ checking account, is unwarranted. Why not, with the current tax cut plan, the wealthy won’t foot the bill, at least not in proportion to what they should. They want a flat rate tax with no sacrifice of paying extra on behalf of the country, although they talk of sacrifice regarding military service – where they are also AWOL. A win-win for the big guys!

A Bear Stearns bailout? No problem. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – come on down! It seems Government intervention is only bad for the little guy, like with Katrina, or stagnant Pell Grants and Minimum Wage, or the 47 million uninsured, or people who lose their pensions due to corporate malfeasance, or when jobs are shipped overseas and there is no relief for the American worker.

When Thailand was ravaged with a typhoon, it seems America was lagging in a response until some bad press. What was the rush; there were no oil wells there, no threats of nuclear proliferation, no need for regime change?

Whenever government bails out big business with taxpayer money, the little people are used as a dangling carrot, threatened with their own financial demise if they do not support such an effort.  One can say extortion. If business is failing, as with Citigroup and numerous financial institutions, who gets laid off first, the CEO or those far below?

We are at the end of another supply side movie, the part that holds the morale of the whole story. Only this time we had a stingy con artist in the lead role, one who forgot you have to give a little to get a lot. We are currently in a stock market free fall, and the fluid in our half full economic glass is shrinking. We have a future consisting of energy, healthcare and tuition crisis totally ignored for eight years. We have a war that has gone on for too long because instead of addressing it with the right troop level in the beginning, Republicans went for simultaneous tax cuts, limiting our fighting resources. Makes one wonder exactly who bore the sacrifice of this war the past seven years?

Really, we weren’t expecting a kinder, gentler conservatism now, were we? Sen. Gramm is right on one accord.  We tend to whine and complain, but there is only one glaring reality - We voted for them.

Now go ahead…vote McCain. He offers the same.

David DiBello

The right wing wealthy in this country are raising the specter of unfairness in claiming that Democrats are seeking to tax them and give their hard earned money to the lower class of the population. They are waging a Robin Hood defense, skimming over the fact that their class, as in the ‘80’s decade of greed, have benefited overwhelmingly while only representing a small fraction of the country. In actuality the working class is questioning how they got those earnings in the first place.

Bill O’Reilly nightly bemoans taking “his money” but little is mentioned by any of this ilk about hard working people losing health coverage or the victimization of minimum wage workers who haven’t gotten an increase in 16 years and work hard for below poverty wages. No mention is made about unchecked CEO pay, agreed upon via the collusion of non employee board members who themselves are of the same ilk as the candidate CEO – wealthy white males mostly – to the ignorance of the stockholders.

The wealthy have manipulated corporations into not only paying golden parachutes, but golden coffins for those executives who die in office. Not only do CEO’s enjoy higher proceeds from life insurance policies, their estate receives salaries if they die where the working class would be left flailing in the wind, with lower death benefits to boost.

Everything is done to protect the wealth of this class. Not only do they benefit by paying significantly less these past eight years, they have no representation in the military. It’s a win-win; don’t fight and enjoy your money while others do the fighting for you. A kind of income protection at socialized government level wages, with veterans treated as yesterday’s news when fighting ends. Their sacrifice, if any, is limited to the pin of a flag lapel piercing their Armani suit and a hand held over their heart as they recite diatribe they will never live up to.

Thanks to capitalism, the “haves” always have the upper hand. Capitalism, while being the best form of economics, also needs to be tweaked.  We created rules to eliminate monopolies, a direct violation of the competition addendum, to the behest of business, which seems to like unfairness when it is to their advantage. They have beaten down the working class by eliminating their defined pension plans and reducing more employee health premiums via payroll deduction.

The nature of capitalism dictates that money makes money, so those with more money watch their nest egg grow multiple times faster than those scrimping to save in a "rich get richer" ponzi scheme. This is why our economy is now based on wealth not work, and old money is dictating the rules over the working class struggling to survive, many times at the expense of their very own children. We have not only rich versus poor, but generations now pitted against one another.

Suppose the working class got wise and boycotted outlandishly priced items like Yankees tickets, or clothing and electronics, or automobiles. If we cancelled our cable and Fox News' revenue decreased, Mr. O'Reilly would eventually find out whose money he does have, after his assistants get laid off first. The haves will threaten layoffs not of their own, management or high priced prima donnas making more money in one year than twenty men in a lifetime, but of the vendors and ticket takers first – high class blackmail termed “negotiation” when done from behind a white collar. Of course with the addiction of wanting one’s son to see a ballgame, the “haves” can revel like drug dealers at the trough. Protection is needed to defend against the inequities and injustices perpetrated by the wealthy.

There’s a solution. Restore Clinton era tax schedules, the ones where the budget was balanced while the economy was humming along, with the exclusion of the first $20,000 of income for all taxpayers in calculating tax obligation. On paper there can be no declaration of unfairness, yet the wealthy will argue that the first $20,000 means nothing to them. They still want the inequity that currently exists on the tail end, the level of income few Americans get to reach thanks to the fact that the purse strings of American firms are held by the “haves,” and they don’t want to see anyone touch their nest egg, no matter how unfair. They rather pit working class against each other, giving them the illusion that they can one day be at their level with hard work, a scam due to current cost of living increases along with our induction into a global economy with no protection for the American worker who currently competes with third world wages.

Let’s forget all that. Here’s an alternative theory perhaps the wealthy could understand – it’s the working class’ turn.

David DiBello