Republican Powell Endorses Obama

Last week, Americans learned that former Secretary of State Colin Powell will endorse Senator Barack Obama and his campaign. This is a very surprising decision since Powell is a friend of Senator John McCain's. Powell has even donated money to the McCain campaign. Regardless of the endorsement, McCain still "respects and admires Secretary Powell."



Powell did not hesitate on saying why he decided to endorse Senator Obama over longtime friend Senator McCain. Secretary Powell, like some Americans, does not believe that Gov. Sarah Palin is fit to serve as the vice president. Powell also said that he was not happy with McCain's ever-changing approach to the economy. Basically, Powell believes that Senator Obama will provide a 'breath of fresh air', instead of the same Republican leadership that this country has been under for the past eight years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/us/politics/20campaign.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

Rush Limbaugh also added his two cents on Secretary Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama. On his radio show, Limbaugh said he believes that Powell endorsed Obama because of his race, and to an extent, he may be right. Juan Williams of Fox News provided an interesting insight to a sort of 'passing of the torch' from Powell to Obama on Limbaugh's radio show. Williams says:

"Of course it has to do with race. It has a lot to do with this sort of senior black man, sort of the original crossover race star in American politics, Colin Powell; I think reaching out to this younger black man, and I think in so many ways it goes beyond race. But I think Rush Limbaugh's right, if he says race is a definite factor here. In terms of his legacy, I think this will stand as a real monument reaching out to the -- potentially, the -- first black president of the United States."

The United States is a country that has had many "firsts" over the years. Perhaps it is time that we add another "first" in the form of electing Barack Obama as America's first black president.

Colin Powell thinks it is a good idea.

Who is Andy Martin?

Name: Andy Martin

D.O.B.: 1945 (Exact date unknown)

Residence: Currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. Martin was born in Middletown, Connecticut.

Education: University of Illinois (B.S. 1966, Juris Doctor 1969), also attended University of Edinburgh, Scotland (1965). While in high school, attended Wesleyan University for advanced classes.

Job Experience: Most well-known for his political career. Here is a list of the numerous offices Mr. Martin has ran for over the past 30 years:

U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1978 (Democratic primary)
U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1980 (Democratic primary)
U.S. House from Connecticut, 1986 (Republican primary)
President of the United States, 1988 (Democratic primary)
Governor of Florida, 1990 (Republican primary)
U.S. House from Florida, 1992 (Republican primary)
Florida State Senate, 1996 (unsuccessful Republican nominee)
U.S. Senator from Florida, 1998 (Republican primary)
President of the United States, 2000 (Republican primary)
U.S. Senator from Florida, 2000 (unsuccessful independent candidate)
U.S. Senator from Illinois, 2004 (Republican primary, removed from ballot according to Illinois State Board of Elections)
U.S. Senator from Florida, 2004 (Republican primary)
Governor of Illinois, 2006 (Republican primary)
U.S. Senator from Illinois, 2008 (Republican primary)

Law Experience: Martin is a public interest lawyer at the state and national levels.

Broadcast Experience: When he was just twenty-three years old, the FCC allowed him to run WTAF-TV in Marion, Indiana. While working there, he presided over the operation of both the television and radio stations. Currently, Martin serves as the Independent Contrarian Columnist and chief national/foreign correspondent for Out2.com. He also serves as the Managing Director of Andy Martin Worldwide Communications.

Teaching Experience: From 1985 to 1992, Martin was an adjunct professor of law for the City University of New York, at LaGuardia Community College and other campuses. At the university he taught courses in business law, legal advocacy, family law, and business management.

International Experience: Over the years, Martin has traveled extensively. The countries he has visited include: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Hong Kong, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. Martin was appointed Baghdad Bureau Chief for Out2.com in April of 2003. He is also the Executive Director of the Revolutionary War Research Center.

Current Endeavors: On October 17th, 2008 Martin filed a lawsuit against the state of Hawaii that demanded that Barack Obama's original birth certificate be released to the public.

If you would like to obtain more information about Andy Martin, follow this link to his personal website: http://www.andymartin.com/bio.htm

A Republican's Take on Sean Hannity's Show

Recently, FoxNews anchor Sean Hannity produced a show entitled "Obama and Friends: History of Radicalism." (A full length video of the show can be found at the end of this post.) The documentary showcases Barack Obama beginning with his college years and going up until the present times. The entire show is dedicated to showing various controversial figures that Barack Obama has ties to. Democrats probably did not take kindly to Mr. Hannity's program, but don't the American people have a right to know the truth about Mr. Obama?

The program begins with a look at Obama's college years, something he has been very tight-lipped about. He studied at Columbia University as well as Harvard Law School. Khalid al-Mansour, a known radical extremist with ties to the Saudi government, aided Barack Obama in being accepted into the prestigious law school. This is where the suspicions of Obama's companions begins.

Following his college experience, Obama worked as a community organizer for the Chicago-based Gamaliel Foundation. The organization is founded on the principles of Saul Alinsky, who many consider the "godfather of community organizing." His philosophy was basically manipulating people into following a particular course of action that he wanted them to take. If Barack Obama took anything from Alinsky's teachings, is he the man that we want to be our next president?

In the program, we also learn that Obama had a relationship with William Ayers. For those who don't know, William Ayers was the leader of the 1960's anti-American terrorist group the "Weather Underground." This group plotted terrorist attacks against the U.S. Capitol building, the Pentagon, and the NYPD headquarters just to name a few. Ayers and Obama worked together for the Woods Fund of Chicago, a non-profit group. Again we see Barack Obama working in close quarters with an extremely controversial figure. Of course, this is not the same man we see campaigning across the nation, or is it?

Hannity's program also looks at Mr. Obama's relationship with his now former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright was Obama's pastor for over twenty years. Wright preaches liberation theology and is shown in the program shouting "God damn America" during one of his sermons. Obama is quoted in the program saying that Wright was like family to him. Although Obama has resigned from Wright's church, how can Americans believe that he is going to disown someone who is like family to him?

The last segment Hannity's program deals with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Obama worked closely with this group during his time as a community organizer. Some people consider this group to be the largest radical group in the nation. ACORN deals with helping low-income families and neighborhoods. ACORN uses crooked tactics and intimidation to achieve what they desire. Currently, ACORN is under investigation for voter fraud. While Obama was a community organizer, the former head of the organization asked Obama to train the ACORN staff. Mr. Obama also was the attorney for ACORN in some of their legal cases. No wonder we never hear Mr. Obama speak of his association with this group. However, the American people have Sean Hannity to thank for bringing it to their attention.

Some may see this program as an unfair attack on Barack Obama. However, if this man is going to be the next President of the United States of American, shouldn't the American people have the right to know who he really is and where has come from? Americans need to know this man's background before they vote him into the White House.

Lost Remote: Rick Sanchez's success with Twitter + TV

I was drawn to this article on Lost Remote because I recall talking about Twitter in one of our previous JRN 305 classes. At the time, I had no idea what Twitter was. I learned a little bit of background info on it through class and now I understand the function of Twitter. This article intrigued me because it talked about Rick Sanchez's afternoon show on CNN and how he integrates things such as Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace into his show. I feel like this is really showing how advanced our society and technology has become. Not only is his show a TV show, but it also showcases video clips, interviews, and Internet chats. One criticism that was voiced was that the show moves along at a very rapid pace, almost too fast for some viewers. I have never watched the show, but I can definitely see how the show could move too quickly through certain segments. However, the public must like something about the show because the article states that the time slot for Sanchez's show has increased its audience by almost 25 percent.