It seems all but sure…The job is her’s if she wants it.

Former Representative Tom Delay, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger seem to have joined the growing band of senior Obama advisers to call for Hillary Clinton to become the 67th Secretary of State. Can this be possible? Can the President-elect’s harshest critics in the primary season and loudest campaigner in the general election become his voice to the world? Another question is with this being the third woman secretary and fourth non-traditional pick, can a white man become Secretary of State anymore?

This week it was announced that the Office of the President-elect has brought on many top officials in the Clinton administration which is sure to help sell Hillary Clinton and seal the any deal for her to become America’s next chief diplomat. “She has instant name recognition in a time that international relations is very important to the nation. She knows what she is doing,” a source close to the President-elect said about Hillary Clinton.

If Hillary Clinton or even Bill Richardson become Secretary of State it would mark the fourth consecutive time America’s chief executive has turned away from the traditional white-male to be the face to the world. Is this a sign of the times in the nation? Can a white man become Secretary of State anymore? The fact that President-elect Obama hasn’t even met or said he will meet with Senator John Kerry, who some people praise with getting the support of Ted Kennedy, could be a hint, the next Secretary will either be a woman or minority. “America is close to becoming a majority minority nation,” an adviser to Vice President-elect Joe Biden said, “The Secretary of State is our image to the world. Presidents are very concerned to select someone to represent a new and changing nation.” Albright, Powell, Rice, and now maybe Clinton make the case that what you know might not be enough to get this job anymore.

Tha- Kid JK

tha-kid@revkitchen.com

The Isms are Still Alive

This primary saw so many records broken. We had a woman run the longest and most successful primary campaign ever. We had a man who would be the oldest president if he wins. We had an African American take the nomination. We had a Latino run, and be viewed as a somewhat serious threat, and seen as a serious contender for vice president. Then there was an Italian who had a front runner campaign for many months, and we can’t forget that a Mormon ran too.

The primary season was a wonderful example of the diversity of America and a reminder that who you are doesn’t have to define what you will be. But it also was a reminder that isms (chauvinism, racism, religionism, ageism…) are still a problem in America. From the media, to political campaigns, to individuals, this hatred has reared it’s ugly head. But the times when identity became a part of politics, equal opportunity discrimination resulted.

Probably most notable in terms of media sanctioned sexism was Chris Mathews, who has also made many comments indicating his support for Barack Obama, at one time saying Obama made a “thrill” go up his “leg.” He made offensive comments about Hillary saying “The reason she’s a U.S. Senator, the reason she’s a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front runner, is that her husband messed around. [...] She didn’t win it on the merits.” Then of course there is the frequent use of the word bitch to describe Hillary. We heard McCain chuckling and saying that “How do we beat the bitch?” was an excellent question. And then of course everyone refers to Hillary, as Hillary, highlighting her gender in a way that last names don’t.

Even though there was only one candidate with a groundbreaking religion running in the 2008 primaries, Mitt Romney, three religions still came under fire. There was a county chairman working for John McCain that blasted Romney’s religion according to the Boston Globe, “[He] questioned whether Mormons were Christians, discussed an article alleging that the Mormon Church helps fund Hamas, and likened the Mormons’ treatment of women to the Taliban’s.”

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The Richardson Betrayal and Obama supporters blind faith.

Last Friday when Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico endorsed Barack Obama, it was a clear betrayal of trust to the Clintons. Bill Richardson would not have a political career if he was not ambassador to the UN under Bill Clinton’s administration. It is clear that Bill Richardson is jumping on the band wagon to try to get a cabinet seat in a possible Obama administration. It is a clear betrayal of “political trust”.

Barack Obama supporters are going to rallies, contributing money, voting for him, caucusing for him, under a system of blind faith. Senator Obama has not shown a consistent voting record; of missing key votes, like the resolution which called the Iranian revolutionary guard a terrorist group. What can Barack Obama bring to this country? Change? Hope? The simple answer is he does not have the experience to bring such hope and change, when Senator Clinton has the perfect experience to bring such hope and change. But sadly the country has turned to a new cult or faith also known as Barack Obama.

Expect the Unexpected

The 2008 Campaign season kicked off obscenely early, and from the very beginning everyone thought they knew how it would pan out. Rudy and McCain would duke it out for the Republican nomination, and Hillary would have a cakewalk to the Dem nod, right? Read more

Why Bill Richardson won’t be President OR Vice President

When Bill Richardson first entered the race, he seemed to be a guy who really could win the Presidential or Vice Presidential Nomination. A south-western, moderate Governor who also had served as Secretary of Energy and had foreign policy experience from his time as United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Sounds like a shoe-in, doesn’t it? Well, as time has gone on, Richardson’s campaign, in my opinion, has began to crumble away. Sure, he may not be doing so bad in recent polls, but I would bet you a million dollars that he won’t get any higher than where he is now, which is around 13 percent in Iowa, and something like 10 percent in New Hampshire, I believe.

And the reason this is, is that he simply isn’t Presidential, or Vice Presidential, for that matter. In all the debates I’ve seen so far, he seems tired and somewhat cranky, and he isn’t that great of a speaker. He’s chubby, he’s short, and he makes a lot of gaffes, his most famous one being the “it’s a choice” comment he made, in reference to homosexuality, at the GLBT debate in Los Angeles on August 9th. President’s and Vice Presidents have to be on the ball and aware all the time. Read more

The Human Rights Campaign-LOGO Presidential Forum Summary

The debate format was more like an individual interview forum. It was one of the more innovative and honest open debates I have seen. The only two Democratic presidential candidates not to attend were Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. Did they really think being associated with the gay community would somehow hurt their campaigns? The following is my post debate wrap up, written during the forum:
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Bill Richardson and the NRA

The NRA (National Rifle Association), AKA (National Republican Association) has made a good friend in current New Mexico Governor and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson. Out of all the presidential candidates (Democrat or Republican) the NRA’s favorite candidate is Richardson.
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