Politics . . .

Politics, you can not avoid it at the moment, campaigns have reached new highs (or lows) after the conventions. It is pretty apparent that the Democratic convention failed to juice up the Democrats but boy oh boy, the Republicans have really juiced up everybody.

Frankly, I think Senator Obama made a very bad mistake in not taking Senator Hillary R. Clinton on as a Vice Presidential candidate. I mean she got almost as many delegates as he did, roughly half of the Democratic delegates and gets snubbed. It made the women angry and it surely made a lot of Democrats angry too. Bad judgement. Yeah, I know, he was trying to avoid the Clinton's mystic but I think he has screwed up badly. And he got almost no bounce, maybe one percent bounce out of his grand speech.

Senator McCain, on the other hand, has played it up very correctly. He has embraced the conservatives with his selection of Sara Palin as a running mate. He has chosen a women which has got to please a lot of female voters. And the polls now show an awesome bounce coming out of the convention. Bad news for the Democrats.

The press has taken a beating, too much support for Obama and NBC's ratings plunged. NBC has more or less rebuked two of their talking heads - both obviously slanted toward Obama. They are at the bottom of pile now vis-a-vis ratings and that's big bucks not matter how they feel. Money comes first in business, then you can rant and rave about your candidates. But until then, you can reverse the role. Others are watching too.

The Sara Palin comes out the line about "soccer mom and a pit bull" that goes over big. That "lip stick" comment that has been repeated again and again. Senator Obama, in his poor extemporaneously speaking ability to speak, made a bad reference to "lipstick on a pig." Boy that has really backfired. So the Senator from Illinois has really stepped into again, inadvertently comparing Sara Palin to a pig. He may not have meant that but he said it and is stuck with it.

Are the Democrats self destructing - - again? Looks bad for them. But fortunately for Democrats there is a long time to go, so they may well recover. But they are not going to do that with unscripted comments from Senator Obama. The conservative talk show hosts are beating up on him but then that is expected since there does not seem to be any successful liberal talk show hosts around. Those two avowed liberals on NBC TV just got whacked by their bosses, so . . .

Mrs Obama seems to be a detriment too. Their charitable contributions are next to nil. And she has put her foot in her mouth too. On the other hand, Cindy McCain stands out as a mother, business woman and one who does give a lot of time and money to charity. But then she does not have a social ladder to climb, she is already at the top.

I don't really like John McCain, but he seems to be the lessor to two evils. McCain voted incorrectly on tax cuts and got on the wrong side of the immigration issue. He seems to have learned his lesson in both cases. But McCain Fiengold Act stinks and his close ties with Joe Lieberman begs questions. Perhaps he is right to waver here and there but I don't like it. Sara Palin selection is certainly a step in the right direction. He is certainly right on the energy picture, the Democrats don't seem to get it.

Even the new Congressman from New Roads, Don Cazayoux, an alleged "Conservative Democrat" is for drilling off shore. Of course, young Don does not have a problem because Louisiana, his home turf, is the leading off shore state around. So the Democrats have their hands full, they just don't know when to quit and join the crowd.

Don's grandmother, whom he never knew, was my God mother. His mother and I are about two weeks apart in age, she being the elder. And we share some common ancestors and cousins but are not related to each other.

He has selected the term "Conservative Democrat" to disassociate himself from the liberals but if it walks like a horse, well it must be a horse, right? There is no such thing as a Conservative Democrat. My father was one way back when, but before he died he became an avowed Republican. When I was but a young boy in Pointe Coupee Parish, there were enough Republicans to counted on one's hands - maybe nine or ten of them. Today, there are many Republicans in Pointe Coupee Parish, yet there remains more Democrats. As a friend said, "You can not get elected in Pointe Coupee unless you are a Democrat." Ergo, the alleged "Conservative Democrat" title.

Young Don can not buck Nancy Pelosi, she is far to powerful. The Democrats are enthralled that he was elected in a Republican district but he faces another race this fall. Part of me wants to see him successful and part of me wants to see a Republican Congressional Majority again. Young Don may be one of the shortest lived US Representations in a long time.

What ever you do folks, vote. Vote your heart, head and loyalties but vote please. I spent a life time devoted to the rights of Americans to be free. Voting is exercising your freedom!