The Last Great Kennedy

"This is the way he lived. My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."- -Eulogy to brother Robert, 1968

"With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion. With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."- Endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, January 2008.

"Although my doctors informed me that I suffered a cerebral concussion, as well as shock, I do not seek to escape responsibility for my actions by placing the blame either on the physical and emotional trauma brought on by the accident, or on anyone else. I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately. ...
It has been seven years since my first election to the Senate. You and I share many memories...And so I ask you tonight, the people of Massachusetts, to think this through with me. In facing this decision (whether to resign), I seek your advice and opinion. In making it, I seek your prayers – for this is a decision that I will have finally to make on my own." -Statement to the People of Massachusetts on Chappaquiddick, 1969.

Ted Kennedy's passing this morning brings the close to an era that began nearly 60 years ago. Of all of the Kennedy brothers, Ted was not the one that anyone thought would succeed, and if not for all the tragedy that surrounded his family, he may have been forgotten to time. Brother John became a young charismatic President, and brother Robert was a vibrant Senator and Presidential candidate. Both were assassinated in their primes, which left Teddy as the patriarch of the Kennedy family. He became a Senator in 1962 and had Presidential aspirations, until a fateful night in 1969 in which he accidentally drove his car off of a bridge. he escaped but his female companion did not. Teddy did run for President in 1980, but was beaten by incumbent Jimmy Carter.

His place was in the Senate, and for nearly 50 years, Kennedy represented his country well. He was not afraid of controversial bills, including a health-care reform bill 30 years ago. He was widely respected on both sides of the aisle, and may think his endorsement of Barack Obama sealed his victory in the Democratic primaries. Kennedy will be missed, and you will likely never see a Senator again with his record or longevity.

It's Over!

Bye Bye Governor, err, President Bush! Enjoy your status as the worst president in US history!

Something To Believe In

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world."- Abraham Lincoln

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth — that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."- Barack Obama

To say I'm still coming down from last night's exhilarating Obama victory is an understatement. After so many horrible things that have happened in the last eight years, including 2 elections that were questionable at best and fraudulent at worst, I was cynical that people would do the right thing yesterday. I was afraid that people would either believe the ridiculous lies that have been spread, or decide that they could not deal with a black president, or think the world would literally end if they voted for Obama. The American people proved me wrong. They decided they, too, were ready to take their country back, that they wanted financial security, national security, and health care that could protect them and their loved ones. I have never been more happy to be wrong.

There are many challenges ahead of us, and President-Elect Obama will make mistakes, as he freely admitted last night in his speech. But true leadership will be restored, and perhaps most importantly, the world may look at us with a little more favorable light, and nothing bad can come from that. And for those who still don't believe in Barack Obama, who will never admit that this great man will bring this country back from the depths of Hell, well, you will benefit from this new administration as well. And isn't that what America is all about?

For my wife's take see here.

Vote!

No matter who you are voting for, make sure you vote today! There are few things that compare to being able to vote in a Presidential Election. This is my fifth, and the feeling of excitement and pride are the same today for me as they were in 1992. Should be a very exciting night, more tomorrow right here on BBBP.

An Historic and Proud Day For America

"It is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America."- Barack Obama


Watching Barack Obama last night, a night after Bill Clinton's wonderful speech, was like seeing Mickey Mantle play with Joe DiMaggio. One man, a veteran of 20 years who is one of the great orators of our time, with the younger future who just may surpass the veteran as a speaker. And on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech, Barack Obama officially became the first African-American candidate of a major party. And Obama did Dr. King proud. He covered every topic, including gun control, war, the economy, and healthcare. He shied away from nothing and showed this country that he will be ready to lead. There are problems to overcome, as we are sure to still see racism in this election from voters- you need look no further than Obama speeches on YouTube under comments and see disgusting drivel from cowards who can hide behind their computer screens. But there is hope- and while I am still cynical that this country's voters will let me down- again, we can only dream that 8 years of Katrina, senseless war, never-ending recession, and $5 gas, will lead the way to make this country great again.

For my wife's eloquent take, go here.



See the entire speech below:

Bill Brings The Heat

“They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let’s send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.”- Bill Clinton

After watching the speeches of Michelle Obama, Ted Kennedy, and Hillary Clinton during this week's Dem National Convention, Bill Clinton had alot to live up to. And as always, he hit it out of the park last night. Clinton backed off the primary season comments that he made as he supported his wife, saying that Hillary supported Obama, and "make that two of us."

Clinton gave the kind of speech that made him a great orator during his 8 years in office. He even came out to the stage to "Don't Stop," his theme song in '92. This wasn't his best work, but it was great and sealed the unity for the Dems that was sorely needed.

To watch the whole speech, see below.

Paris Shoots Back

Hilarious response by Paris Hilton to being used in McCain's "Barack is a celebrity" ad. Contrary to rumor, Paris did not memorize her lines. Thanks to FunnyOrDie:

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Jon Stewart Makes Fun of NEPA

Well, actually makes fun of McCain, but the Scranton reference makes it all the funnier. Look for it around 4:15 in the video.

New JibJab Video!

Some of you may have already seen this, but JibJab.com, maker of hilarious non-partisan videos, has just been posted, set to the tune of Dylan's "The Times Are A-Changing." And it stars Obama, McCain, and...Kenney? Watch carefully toward the end of the 2 minute video:

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Yes, not only does JibJab make great videos, but gives you the chance to star along in it. It's good to have some light-heartedness in a political year that has been anything but.

Keystone Victory

My girl Hillary won last night in my former and current home state of PA, 55-45. It is probably not enough to get her back from long-shot in this race against Obama, but it was nice to see her pull out a win here. The reasons Obama didn't win? There may be many, but I don't think it's because the "rednecks" voted for Hillary because of Obama's "bitter" comments last week. Some, including my wife, think this is the case. The reason I don't believe this to be true, is that many of the people he supposedly disparaged are on the Republican side, and thus couldn't vote for either in a closed primary.

Regardless, I think this just begs the powers that be in the DNC to try to find a way to combine these two forces into the superticket that Republicans dreamed about in 1980 with Reagan and Ford. I know it's a long shot, but two candidates working together to bring together this country- what a novel idea!

Primary Diversion

Some light-heartedness on the day of the PA Primary. One for each of the candidates. :)

Here is the hilarious spoof of Barack as Rocky, as seen on Olbermann:



And a funny-ass love song to Hillary by The Clintons:

Hillary Rally

I stood in line for 3 hours yesterday to hear my girl Hillary speak in Bethlehem. After all the near-misses with rallies because of work obligations, traffic, or just plain bad luck, it was worth it. (It's amazing that as an avid fan of presidential politics for 20 years, this was my first rally. Damn pre-Internet living.) I got to stand pretty close to the stage, with an overflow crowd of 3000, that's not too shabby for me. I also got to shake PA Governor Ed Rendell's hand- while not a big fan of his, meeting anyone that high up in politics (with a few notable exceptions) is still an honor.



I will be the first to admit that she has run a LA Clippers-like strategy with her campaign, but listening to her speak abut issues was a treat. She went into detail, among other things, about her healthcare plan, her plans to end the "No Child Left Behind" disaster, her autism prevention plan, and an economic plan that has us becoming less dependent on oil. Now, I am not naive enough to believe that all promises will be met if elected- it never happens. But her ideas, much like Barrack's, if they can solve even one of these major US disasters, would be so refreshing after 8 years of devolving as a country. Refreshing indeed. Whoever you root for, Pennsylvanians, just VOTE tomorrow.

Is Hillary Desperate?

My girl's talking about Scranton in a positive light. It's a good ad, but Scranton? Here is the intro to the following ad: "Hillary spent her summers in Scranton growing up, and those memories are part of the foundation of her faith in the American dream." Now that's bad. :)

Bush Endorses McCain

Got me to thinking- what other headlines would sound as odd or out-of-place with reality?

OJ Obsolves Real Killers

Chevy Chase Annoints Conan as Late Night King

Clemens Chastises Bonds for HGH Use

Adam Sandler Thinks Will Ferrell Should Choose More Serious Roles

Warren Buffett Floats Bill Gates a Loan

Hank Steinbrenner Says There Is No Red Sox Nation (Sorry, that one is real)

Rafael Palmiero, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire to Appear on FOX's "Moment of Truth"

Wrigley Field To Sell Naming Rights (Sorry, true again)