SAIGONBOB

Can LA Mayor Villaraigosa Beat AG Jerry Brown for California Governor?

    Update: October 31, 2007:  After writing this posting, I received an email from the "Garamendi 2010 Committe" John Garamendi is the Lt. Governor of California, and I did, indeed, forget to include him in the race for Governor in 2010.  I've always liked the guy, and believe he would be a tough opponent to anyone running in the Democratic Primary for Governor. (www.garamendi.org)
    In the event both men actually do run in the Democratic Primary for Governor of California in 2010,  Jerry Brown will have the edge.
    Californians have always loved the unique in politics.

    The golden state has had such unique elected personalities as former dancer George Murphy, Cal-Berkeley linguist H.I. Hiwaykawa, John Tunney (Son of loved Heavyweight Boxing champion, Gene Tunney) and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger, among the historically important Earl Warren, and Alan Cranston(who warned America during Hitlers rise, with his own book called "Mein Kampf" by Alan Cranston during the 1930s).

    Although Mayor Villaraigosa has gone through his personal life difficulties, and along with it, plenty of negative publicity, as a result of an out-of-wedlock affair, he is still well liked as Mayor, and has a big following outside of his natural Latino voting base.

    Attorney General Brown has always had healthy support from the Hispanic community on a statewide basis.  Although in a Mano-a-Mano contest with the LA Mayor, these votes would most likely split in his favor, Jerry could hold his own, and carry Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties.

    If other well known candidates also run, such as Bill Lockyer, they will split the votes even more, thus giving  the former Governor, Jerry Brown a third term...30 years later.

    Jerry being a little older than the post WW II generation will also bring along the baby boomer group (at least those who still have long term memory) and could be sworn in as the most experienced Governor to ever take office, again, during this modern era.

    The issues may change somewhat, in a couple of years, but Jerry has already pushed the envelope on global warming, as Attorney General, and is still very well liked around the state.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos

   

   

   

   

Is it Time for Barack Obama to Push the Panic Button: LA Times Poll

    The latest Los Angeles Times political poll (Oct. 24, 2007) shows Hillary Clinton moving way ahead of Senator Obama, while he has lost 5% from the last national poll.
    Even with Hillary's high negative rating, she is basically beating the crap out of Obama (check LATIMES.COM)

    There are a couple of caveats here:  It is a national poll and not a primary by primary poll.  It is still early in the election cycle and Obama has not spent his money on national television commercials,which automatically gives the well known former First Lady a lead.

    However, the most devastating thing for Obama is he has lost 5% of his own, previous support, while Mrs. Clinton is running lengths ahead.

    So, is it time for the Senator from Illinois to push the panic button?

    My answer: Almost, yes.

    Unless the campaign is showing hidden polling which gives him some momentum in South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, he may have to totally create a new campaign, immediately.

    It is not just the structure of the campaign, although he may have to dismiss the hierarchy of his staff, but the candidate himself.

    Obama looks a little too presidential, and too laid back, and not giving us the specifics which creates national news and gives him some momentum.

    His strategy of attacking Mrs. Clinton has backfired, and he must regain some momentum...otherwise the 58 million dollars he raised would be better spent just buying thousands of people health insurance.

    I really like Senator Obama and think he would be a terrific President of the United States, but  he may not have the  savvy, at this point in his career, to create a strong campaign on the stump, for President.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos

   

      

Should the Democratic Candidates Stop Attacking Hillary Clinton?

    The short answer is Yes, the other Democratic Presidential Candidates should stop the constant frontal attacks on the former First Lady, because it just makes them look small minded.
    Mrs. Clinton is not my first choice for the Democratic Nomination, but I will vote for her if she reaches the final against the GOP candidate for President of the US.

   As a long-time registered Democrat (43 years), I find it offensive and immature....plus...an incredible waste of media time for Obama, and Edwards to try to take small differences in such an issue like health care, and make political attacks.

    In the case of Senator Obama, it is an extreme waste of news time to attack her, because the average voter doesn't know anything about him yet.  Thus, the first thing they hear about him...is his negative attack, and not what he stands for or against on the issues at hand.

    How can any of the candidates say they are for diplomacy in the Middle East, for example, and then be un-diplomatic by attacking candidates in their own party. You can't have it both ways.

    Sure, some criticism is understandable, but not to the extent that we are giving political ammunition for the GOP to use during the fall of 2008.

    As I have mentioned in much earlier postings, Sen. Barack Obama has had a hard time in getting traction and showing a dynamic force in the primary.  If he just wastes his time attacking Senator Clinton, the voter still won't know what he is about.

    Here are some other specific things Senator Obama can talk about, rather than go on the attack:   

    1.  What is he going to do about the cost of our national elections?  This one will cost about 500-million dollars...much of it special interest money.

    2.  What will he do regarding health care during the first week in office?

    3.  How will he keep the Middle East from blowing-up after he brings home the troops?

    4.  What specifically will he do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil?

In other words...forget about Mrs. Clinton and tell us what the hell you are going to do as President of the United States?

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos

   

Is Sen. John McCain making a comeback?

    Perhaps there is new life in that old Vietnam Veteran, Prisoner of War, and upfront candidate for President, John McCain of Arizona.
    His joke about Hillary Clinton pushing for a million dollars for a Woodstock memorial, reflecting an event at the time, while he was "tied-up" brought a sarcastic but important point to his historical push for the elimination of political pork.
    The Republican audience laughed and clapped for an extended amount of time after his statement, that brought to mind the sacrifice he made while being beaten repeatedly, by the North Vietnamese in solitary confinement, while his same generation was dancing in the mud, listening to Jimmy Hendrix at Woodstock.

    The political polls show that he has stopped the downturn in his campaign, and is rebounding somewhat.

    Along with the campaign dud of former Senator Fred Thompson,who looked like a winner before he entered the contest, but appears lackluster compared to McCain and others, the presidential aspirants may be in the throws of the first stage of a political shakedown.

    There are a lot of voters who really like John McCain, and although I am a long time Democrat, and will most likely vote for my nominee for President of the United States, I hope that the reform minded Senator will make it to the finals of the GOP Primary.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos

   

Will Talk Radio Become More Powerful with a Democratic Party Takeover in 2008?

    The leaders of the Democratic Party are making a big mistake in taking on the leaders of talk radio with personal attacks and  threats of a new so-called "fairness doctrine."

    Instead of schmoozing most of the conservative talk show hosts on the AM, they have chosen the path of confrontation.

    There are moderate leaders of my Democratic Party, but the leadership, including Senator Harry Reid, have actually ignored the First Amendment, in trying to have one talk show host fired because of his views.

    There is a chance, with members of the GOP retiring in droves, that the Democratic Party can become as powerful as when President Lyndon B. Johnson was in office with a vast majority of a Democratic lead US Congress.

    You could have thrown a bowling ball down the aisle of the House of Representatives and never hit a Republican during those powerful years.

    But, millions of people listen to Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Rusty Humphries, and others on a daily basis.

    These are the listeners who vote and take an active interest in the body politic, and have a right to have the government stay out of the radio business.

    America is a conservative country, and it is validated over and over again with the popularity of these hosts.

    Although, I may disagree with much of what they say, it is a mistake, on a constitutional basis, and a practical political basis for my party to make them the enemy.

    We Democrats, have the possibility of gaining control of the White House and Congress during the swearing in on January 2009.

    Because of this, it is possible that AM talk radio will become more powerful in two years.  This is good for, not only the radio industry, but also for our country.

    The First Amendment is a protection, for all of us, of a runaway government, regardless of which party is in charge.

    Keeping the First Amendment viable, and radio talk show hosts active, colorful, without government interference is a positive act.

    Lets keep the government out of the radio business, and keep special interests from controlling our government.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos

Ann Coulter: Forgetting Albert Einstein

    Every time I get sucked into a chick with nice legs, she turns against me.
    Such is the case with Ann Coulter, who made some nasty argument against the Jews as being non-perfected because they are not Christians.
    Sounds like "Jews for Jesus," with the exception, with her blue blood, I doubt there is any Kreplach in that blond.
    So, I guess, within her argument, that she forgot about the "less than perfect" Albert Einstein, or the man who invented the Polio Vaccine, Jonas Salk.

   

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos

       
   

How Gov. Bill Richardson Can Make an Impact at the Democratic Convention

    At this point in the Democratic Primary process (Oct.12,2007) very few people give New Mexico Governor much of a chance in the upcoming elections.
    There is a way, however, he can capture a good amount of delegates prior to the August,2008 nominating convention in Denver.
    While campaigning hard in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada, at this point, he should start taking out radio ads in the smaller last minute states, such as Oregon and Montana.
    Very few people know of his background, or that he is even running for President of the United States.

    While emphasizing his history as President Clinton's national energy adviser, UN delegate, and the chief executive of New Mexico, and his Latino roots, he could challenge the way we do primaries, the expense of campaigns, and the nature of modern politics.

    With radio ads, he could emphasize how Oregon, Montana and other smaller states, which hold primaries in March and May, should not be irrelevant to the nominating process.

    In this way, he could capture hundreds of delegates prior to the national convention, and have some control and power over the difficult issues he has had to deal with, as Governor of New Mexico: Immigration, drugs, health care, etc.

    Small states are supposed to be equal to large states within the power of our federal government, but basically, during our modern process of "frontloading" an almost national primary, we have put the smaller states on the doormat preceding the national convention.

    Bill Richardson could easily outline these problems with radio advertising in many of the small states, and create a loyal following, no matter what happens in January and February of 2008.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos   

Why "Backloading" the Democratic Presidential Primary may Solve the Current Mess.

    Many of our states want to beat Iowa and New Hampshire (S.Carolina/Nevada) in holding Democratic Presidential Primaries for 2008.
    We now have a mess, where the populace states of Florida and Michigan may not be seated at the Democratic Convention in Denver, next August.
    For arguments sake, let's say that John Edwards wins Florida,Barack Obama wins Illinois and California, and Hillary Clinton wins Michigan and New York.

    There is a good chance, under this scenario, that there will be no clear winner and the candidates who do win Florida and Michigan will be fighting to have those delegates seated at the convention.

    With a possible mess like this, then it would be better for Florida and Michigan, and others to "backload" the primary system, and join the little state of Oregon and others in May of 2008 for a "rear-end" primary.

    This could add the excitement of the 1968 Democratic Primary when Senator Eugene McCarthy won Oregon and he and Senator Robert F. Kennedy had to fight it out in California (which has given the taxpayers a 60-90 million dollar bill to add the early February primary this time) for the nomination.

    At this point in the contest (Oct. 10, 2007) most of the political world have given the election to Hillary Clinton, but we are still have a few months to go before  Iowa and New Hampshire surprising the experts (another reason I still love the idea of small states first in the primary process.)

    I also hope that the news media will give a little more attention to Governor Bill Richardson and Barack Obama, as we enter the heated season heading into the  first Democratic Primaries.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos

   

   

Forgetting Lenny Bruce:Getting Our Govenment(s) out of the Free Speech Controversy

    When I was young, I really liked listening to the sarcasm and wit of Lenny Bruce.  The San Francisco comic took no prisoners when it came to the establishment thought of the 1950s.
    It is all a blur to me now, but various government entities didn't like his "free speech" invectives, and eventually arrested him on trumped up charges.
    With the era of radio "Schlock (OK...shock) Jocks" on the radio, I thought that the earlier McCarthy time of government intimidation, based on free speech, was over.

    I was wrong.

    It first started with some federal officials discussing a new "fairness doctrine" because they were upset with conservative talk radio, which had an impact on immigration legislation.

    Then, the United States Senate took the unusual position of introducing non-binding legislation against an ad by "moveon.org" which took out a character assassination advertisement against an American General in a private newspaper(NY Times).

    Instead of individual Senators taking a stand against that ad, they had to put the power of the government behind it...as if to look at the First Amendment of our Constitution, and step on it.

    Then, Michael Savage, perhaps the most conservative  popular talk show host in America, decided to use sarcasm against a legitimate grievance by undocumented workers.  Once the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, heard about the remark...they too did not just speak out individually against the Bay Area based host, but decided to put the force of the Government, behind it, by introducing formal legislation against him..an individual..who was speaking out.

    Have they forgotten about Mario Savio and Lenny Bruce?

    But, I have not finished:

    The head of the United States Senate....the club of 100, who can replace a President, or deny a Supreme Court nominee a position on the high court, and even stop a treaty with a foreign government from taking place, decided to ask the CEO of a private corporation to fire an individual because the host used derogatory language against some soldiers who are against the war in Iraq.

    Did Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) forget to read the United States Constitution on his way to public office?

    Fortunately, the CEO politely and firmly let Mr. Reid know, he was out of line.

    I don't care if someone is a "lefty" or right-wing in their politics.  I don't like extremism in any form, but I dislike the heavy boot of the government coming down on individuals, for expressing their American born rights.

    If some commercial interest decides to punish a talk show host for ruining their image, like Don Imus....that is their business and part of the public dialog... but not a decision for our government.

    Let's keep our government out of the free speech business, unless someone yells "fire in the theater."

    Thanks for reading:
    Bob Kholos

 

 

 

How Barack Obama can be More Effective

    Senator Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, have raised about 80 million dollars each.  Yet, Senator Hillary Clinton is way ahead in the national polls, many of the primary states, although a battle is brewing in Iowa with Obama, Clinton and Edwards, as of the start of October.

    Because she has been in the news for the last 15 years, the former First Lady, has the best name recognition of any of the candidates in the Democratic Primary, and this quarter, she has raised a little more money than Mr. Obama...but there is a saturation problem for her.  At some point the money won't have the same impact as Obama's, because she is already so well known, that her commercials...no matter how well developed, can't get her to 100% of the vote, and Obama should start creeping up in a month or so.

    Although, there is a sense that Senator Obama is playing a little too safe, this early in the campaign, his campaign has not had the impact it needs, at this point.

    I have a few specific suggestions for the Senator from Illinois, going into November and December, to make a stronger impact with the news media and thus the voters.

    1.  He must turn his attention and rhetoric to important domestic issues.  He can still talk about health care but with specifics.  For example, I would suggest the following: "As President, I will ask for immediate funding for Cancer Care for all Americans.  Anyone who has Cancer will get reimbursed for the treatment by the Federal Government.  This will be my first practical approach to a full health care system."

    2.   While funding for college is driving the middle class nuts, he should say the following: "As President, I will ask for a full Congressional investigation, along with the Secretary of Education, on the high cost of College Text Books. Many students are required to spend as much as 150 bucks on one book.  This, at a time, when many people can publish there own book at home for just a few dollars.  We must bring down the legitimate costs for the price of going to higher education."

    3.  " I will start an emergency approach to making the Southwest and Southeast of our country a 'Solar Region."  I will 'jawbone' the major oil companies into providing a solar incentive to that part of the country. The oil companies can still satisfy their stock holders while converting from fossil fuels to the Sun."

    This is just a start to things Obama can do and say, before entering into the television spot battle with Mrs. Clinton, at the end of December.

    Once again, I have nothing against Senator Clinton, but I believe her high negatives in the polls, will stunt us, as Democrats, from getting a super majority in Congress next year.

    Thanks for reading:

    Bob Kholos