Where to Next?

I'm no longer the "18 year old high-school student/political blogger."

As of this morning I'm the "19 year old college-age political blogger."

Something tells me that's not as easy to market...

Despite having put another year behind me some things don't change. First, I'm still fascinated by watching and covering American elections. Second, I still love to write, take photographs, design graphics, and shoot video.

In the late winter of '07 I set out to attend a few campaign events and type up summaries online. By Election Day I had been on the floor of the RNC, shaken hands with the two party nominees, been on television as a political analyst and a game show contestant, and had my blog posts syndicated around on various news sites.

So what do I have up my sleeve now and what am I aiming for looking ahead to the 2012 election? It's a secret for now, but you'll find out soon!

Long Overdue

Hillary and Mitt

Two names I didn't expect to be paying much attention to in late November, but following Romney's provacative New York Times op-ed today and the (perhaps) looming nomination of Sen. Clinton as Barack Obama's Secretary of State it's hard to ignore them.

Romney came out swinging today by penning a piece for the Times suggesting that the best thing for Detroit (and the American economy in the long run) is to allow the "Big Three"--Ford, GM, and Crysler--to go bankrupt and change the way they do business. As much as I disagreed with and disliked Romney during Campaign '08 it's hard to disagree with the arguement he lays out:

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check

Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from unrelated industries — from companies widely respected for excellence in marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations. Investments must be made for the future.

No more focus on quarterly earnings or the kind of short-term stock appreciation that means quick riches for executives with options. Manage with an eye on cash flow, balance sheets and long-term appreciation. Invest in truly competitive products and innovative technologies — especially fuel-saving designs — that may not arrive for years.

Read the full article HERE.

The article that drew my attention to Hillary Clinton comes from the conservative Weekly Standard. Some Democrats will play off any notion that one of their own being popular among conservatives is a good thing for the party, but Noemie Emery's piece makes me realize just what it was about Hillary during the closing months of the primary fight that I loved so much. Emery writes:

As her previous base was collapsed by Obama, she responded by taking the only route open: She morphed by default into the champion of middle-aged, middle-class, small-town and middle America; of the more conservative, post-Reagan Democrats; and, by her party's standards, the hawks. In no time at all, Hillary Rodham of Wellesley and Yale became the new voice of the Democrats' social conservatives, defending rural voters and small town inhabitants against charges of "bitterness," saying elites had degraded the culture, knocking back shots of Crown Royal in bars.

She didn't just change, she seemed authentic in changing, as if a woman who had gone through multiple makeovers during decades in politics had finally found a persona that fit her. Martha's Vineyard flaked off, revealing the soul of a Midwestern scrapper.

This shift in the Hillary Clinton persona did not go unobserved on the left, which commenced to tear her apart in the same terms of endearment it would later unleash upon Sarah Palin, and had used before on George W. Bush and Joe Lieberman. Moveon.org, founded ten years ago by liberal Democrats to defend the Clintons against impeachment proceedings, now assailed her with the savage ferocity they had once reserved for Ken Starr. As a result, perhaps, Hillary later refused to attack Sarah Palin, and treated her, and McCain, with personal courtesy throughout the campaign.

As for the conservatives, many of those who began 2008 willing to do anything to defeat her tended to end it feeling sorry she lost. They began to tell themselves and each other they would sleep better at night if she were the nominee of her party, for reasons having to do with the now-famous three a.m. phone call. She would not, they said, have gone to Berlin and said that the city was saved by the world coming together; she would have known that the Air Force had something to do with it. As thoughts turned later on to possible cabinet picks, the thought of Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin staring into the clueless eyes of John Kerry and/or Bill Richardson roused still more anxiety. Better the steely gimlet-eyed stare of a Hillary Clinton.

A fantastic article that any Democrat (Obama supporter or Hillary fan) would do good to read. Check out the whole piece HERE.

Crossing my fingers for Sec. of State Hillary Clinton...

Sick.

I've slept for fifteen of the last twenty hours and planning to head back to bed soon.

Unfortunately, due to a timely software malfunction, my iPod deleted all of the 4,700 songs I had on it.

A bad headache, a fever, chills, no music to keep me happy.

At least I've got this nice sunset view out the window...

An Outstanding Summary

Ron Suskind's NYT piece today is well worth a read.

Catch it HERE.

Capetown

Can't wait to return in December!

Back "Home"

My extended weekend in Cape Town has come to an end and I'm back here in Plettenberg Bay until I begin traveling again the second week of December.

Cape Town was a whirl of activity, and being there I was able to start grasping the magnitude of last week's election. Bars in Cape Town had "America Nights" (cheap drinks for Americans), Obama was the subject of many toasts around town, and it seemed like Americans were popping up everywhere from previously-hidden existences. To confirm the media stories of "global celebrations" to Obama's victory, I can definitively say that Cape Town was celebrating along with everyone else. How refreshing!

I'm going to upload some photos of the South African newspapers that I have been able to snag over the past week. The Obama editorials, cartoons, headlines, and reader letters have been amazing...