Topical Nonsense

Pre-Gaming the New Hampshire Primary

Well folks, the New Hampshire primary looms.  I think everyone by now understands that Romney will undoubtedly be the nominee.  If Romney somehow doesn’t win big tomorrow, it should be considered a “loss” for him.  The latest polls show Romney at about 33-35%, with Paul at 20% and Huntsman at 13%.  

What tomorrow is really about is determining how long it will take for Romney to secure the nomination.  A long, drawn out primary could be very bad for Romney.  If Romney is going to gain any kind of traction in the South, he is going to have to pander to his base.  That means he will have to take harsh stances on social issues (gay marriage, abortion etc.) and domestic issues (welfare, medicare/medicaid, social security).  If he has to swing right in order to get nominated, it could really hurt him in the general election.  It would be almost too easy for President Obama to fend him off.  An improving economy wouldn’t help Romney’s case, either.

If I had to have any one of the Republican candidates elected as POTUS, I would have to take Jon Huntsman for reasons that should be fairly obvious (I’m a lefty!).  However, I understand that Romney will be the GOP’s main contender come November.  

At this point, it still is a toss-up whether President Obama or the GOP nominee (Romney) will edge out a victory.  If the economy keeps steadily improving, as it has as of late, President Obama should be able to gain a second term.  If not, well, I don’t like to think about that.  It certainly is going to be interesting to see how this shapes up.  Who knows how much Santorum could influence the GOP race when it reaches the Southern states?  I’m looking forward to seeing how this all turns out.

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

Politics = SMH

Well…the political scene has certainly made many of us do what the title of this article is hinting at.  Let’s just say that at 18 years old, I have become extremely cynical when it comes to getting anything done.  During the debt ceiling crisis, I labeled Barack Obama a genius.  I still feel that he is the best man for the job, but a lot of that has to do with the outrageous cast of characters the GOP has come up with as the contenders for the Presidency. 

I am extremely liberal, for those of you who couldn’t figure that out themselves.  I am very much on the left.  So let me make this clear, Barack Obama IS NOT on the left.  He is decidely in the middle.  He is always willing to compromise with the GOP which, in my opinion, is absolutely unacceptable.  Maybe Hillary Clinton should have been President after all.  You probably don’t know this because I haven’t posted anything since like July, but I am a huge critic of Barack Obama.  However, I still really like the guy.  Remember back in 2008 when Barack was this magical being who was going to clap all the big whigs on Wall Street in irons and make them pay?  I was 15 when President Obama was elected, and that filled me with so much hope for this country.  It really saddens me that he was not able to do what he campaigned on and had no choice but to sprint to the middle.

I understand that a lot of you are displeased with President Obama.  It seems perfectly logical that someone else should take over the Presidency.  But seriously, who does the GOP have that has any clue on how to fix our country?  Jon Huntsman makes the most sense to me, but no one is going to vote for him.  Mitt Romney is a decent second choice, but the Tea Party hates him and would much prefer such unelectable candidates as Herman Cain or Rick Perry.  Newt Gingrich is currently the front runner.  Newt Gingrich wouldn’t neccesarrily be a terrible choice because he has shown a willingness to work with Democrats in the past, but I don’t see how he can get the Tea Party vote either.

In the end, we are all screwed.  I seriously doubt any politician has the balls to actually fight for the middle class.  It baffles me how the Republicans are so against raising taxes on the rich.  What the hell is wrong with them!?  I still stand by my earlier statement that we have to re-elect Barack Obama.  He still is our only hope…for now.  Until a formidable candidate proves that they have the moxy to get shit done, we will never see things change for the better. 

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

Its been awhile…

To the 3 of you who may have been wondering why I haven’t posted in several months….I was busy.  To recap, I started my first semester at Bemidji State in late August.  College started off pretty good.  I was adjusting well to life in my new apartment and I was starting to make some new friends.  Things certainly seemed to be looking up for me. 

However, something really fucking terrible happened in early September that pretty muched ruined that.  My best friend Logan, who I believe I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, was killed in a car accident on September 3rd.  I have never really had any real experiences with death, most of the major deaths in my family happened when I was too young to understand.  Logan’s tragic death has impacted me in a lot of ways and has caused me to re-evaluate my life. 

I can’t say enough about Logan, he was something special.  He was definitely one of the smartest kids I have ever known.  He was a great man who didn’t deserve to go that young.  I’m trying to do something with my life that he would be proud of.  As you can ascertain, his opinion meant a great deal to me.  Even now his death still makes me shake my head in disbelief.

With the most depressing part of my recap out of the way, I’ll touch on some post-Logan affairs.  My cousin Storm and his Girlfriend Jessica (I believe I code-named them “Matt” and “Jennifer” earlier….fuck it, I’ll use their real names from now on) are just as stupid as they have always been.  They fight every single time the drink together, it literally never fails.  They are all of 19 years old and have been dating for 2 years, and yet they always talk about marriage and other shit that shouldn’t concern them at their age.  They are pretty much destined to break up, and I predict it will end badly.  Jessica is a stupid, manipulative bitch who annoys the hell out of me.  I can’t believe I agreed to say with them.  My other roomate, Chris, and I have sort of struck an unlikely friendship because of the previous developments.  It’s too bad that it will be short-lived, both he and I plan on transferring after this year.

I know, I know….I shouldn’t let my idiotic roomates spoil my entire college experience.  I’m doing this partly because of them, but Logan’s death has played a bigger role in it.  I will transfer to MSUM, which is closer to home, so I can see my family and friends more often.  Storm and Jessica have become a lost cause to me, there is no hope for reforming them.

So that’s pretty much it.  This has been a sucky start to my adult life, but I am optimistic that things will turn out for the better.  Feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments on how I can improve this blog.  I have no idea who my audience really is at this point, so to those of you who care, your opinions will be greatly appreciated.  I will have more content related to politics/pop-culture up soon.  For now, I can only hope this will tide you over.

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

Why We Should Stop Hating On Obama

As you may already know, I am of the opinion that Barack Obama is one savvy ninja President.  Obviously, people on the right don’t like him.  However, it is surprising that a lot of people on the left also have an animosity toward him.  A common complaint from the left that I hear is that he isn’t liberal enough or won’t take on the Republicans with the fury of a pissed off pregnant woman.  

Ok, full disclosure time.  I am a very, very, very liberal person.  I am essentially a socialist.  I would love to have true Universal Health Care and public education reforms, such as higher pay for teachers and higher standards to create a better learning environment, none of this No Child Left Behind bullshit.  I would also love to tax the rich at an incredible rate and have an amazing social safety net so the middle class could come back into existence.  Oh, and of course, make college basically free by having it paid for through taxes.  You have no idea how much I want to stop worrying about all of this financial aid crap.

With all of that being said, I am glad that Obama is a center-left President.  He understands better that most of us that he has to work with the Republicans so he can continue to get shit passed.  The majority of liberals, including myself, were angry when he didn’t let the Bush tax cuts on the rich expire.  I now understand that he made that move to gain some political capital, as it were.  Right now, we are seeing the culmination of Obama’s scheme against the Republicans. He has painted them into a corner.  He is forcing THEM to shut down the government.  I have a feeling he knew all along they weren’t going to accept his “Grand Bargain”.  He felt safe putting social safety net programs on the table because he knew they would never agree to tax increases.  President Obama has been preaching that both sides need to give a little and that they need to work together.  He put out his “Grand Bargain” as a way of making the Republicans the bad guys.  This guy is a fucking masterful politician.

While I understand that people want him to do more, we have to realize that he can realistically only do so much.  President Obama is doing all he can to get the best deals possible for America, which is all we can really ask of a president.  To me, he proved how great of a president he was when he got Osama Bin Laden.  The guy is looking out for America.  It might seem a little weird because the last guy didn’t give a shit what happened to America, but President Obama really does care.  We have no choice but to re-elect this guy.  As of now, he is our only hope (Star Wars reference intended).

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

Religious Bullshit

For the record, I am an Atheist who is a HUGE supporter of religious freedom.  It pains me to see someone get lambasted for their beliefs.  No one should ever be discriminated against for their Religion/Non-religion.  With that being said, I really hate it when certain religious groups use their religion to hate on people they don’t agree with.  Michelle Bachmann recently signed a pledge that is aimed at defending the “institution of marriage”.  Institution of marriage?  Roughly 50% of married couples get divorced, I’m sorry but their is absolutely no sanctity in marriage.  Never was, never will be.  The pledge that she signed (here’s a link http://www.thefamilyleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/themarriagevow.final_.7.7111.pdf) is anti-porn, abortion, divorce, and same-sex marriage.  It also contains this gem, which also happens to be the first thing listed;

 Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President.

I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or take up arms over this quote.  The Republicans are essentially running on hate and are using Christianity as a way of legitimizing it.  It is absolutely sickening.  I was raised a Lutheran, so I know that most Christians are good people, but this is insane.  

It also bothers me how much politics and religion, namely Christianity, have become intertwined in this country. It’s almost as if it is being made out that if you don’t have a religion, you are a very unreasonable and bad person.  I am an Atheist I have no plans of committing any heinous acts or causing harm to others.  In fact, I dream of being a psychologist someday so I can help people. All of this perverting of religion is why I am also a staunch supporter/trumpeter of separation of church and state.  Religion and politics are not a good mix, just ask medieval Europe or the current Islamic states.  People it’s time that we learned to stop using religion as an excuse to throw around hateful rhetoric.  I fear that if we do not, we will become subject to the Michelle Bachmanns of the world, and nobody wants that.

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

Debt Ceiling Nonsense pt. 2

Man, this debt ceiling business is starting to get crazy.  So last week, President Obama offered the GOP a “Grand Bargain”, which would allow changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social security in exchange for closing tax loopholes and raising taxes on the rich.  The Republicans DENIED it.  That’s right, they are so fucking ignorant that they couldn’t accept that deal. Their reasoning being that you can’t raise taxes on, ahem, “Job Creators”.  These sons of bitches are outsourcing all of their jobs, how in the hell are they going to help our economy?  Fucking pathetic.  Obama needs to drop kick these Republicans right in the teeth

Speaking of Barack Obama, I have now come to the conclusion that he is a much more bitchin’ president than people realize.  While I’m still very apprehensive about allowing changes to our social safety net, I have to say that I am willing to trust Obama on this one. In his press conference today, he said that he is willing to take some heat over this.  Man, this guy has balls.  He isn’t afraid to make tough decisions.  I really hope that he is re-elected.

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

Debt Ceiling Nonsense

You know, I am still pulling for Obama in 2012, but he is making it very hard for me to constantly defend him when pulls shit like, I don’t know, leaving cuts for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid on the table.  Dammit Barack, I wish you would continue to be the fucking ninja president that I know you are capable of (remember the Osama takedown?).  Listen to Bill Clinton and STAND STRONG.  Fuck the Republicans, what the hell do they know?  Barack, you need to stop all of this compromising bullshit.  You absolutely have to draw a line in the sand and politely tell the Republicans to fuck themselves.

There talks going on right now about how our Ninja in Chief, Barack Obama, could actually bypass congressional approval and ignore the debt ceiling because the 14th amendment includes a public debt clause that says that the obligations of the government “shall not be questioned”.  Republicans are whining about how unfair that is, and some say they would consider impeaching him if he did invoke the 14th amendment.  I say bring ‘em on!  There is no way they could successfully impeach him for following the constitution. 

Speaker of the House John Boehner has said that there is a 50-50 chance that a deal could be done this week.  I’m really, really hoping that said deal will not include any cuts to our social safety net.  Oh, and it better include those tax increases for the rich as well.  

A lot of people on the left are very unhappy with Barack, but I truly believe that he has been a pretty damn good president.  There was this video I watched on youtube where Bill Maher discussed this (I’ll post the link after I write this).  He talks about how savvy Barack is and how he is a “master politician”.  It is imperative that Barack defeat the Republicans in these debt ceiling talks.  If he does so I don’t see any reason why he won’t get re-elected.

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

Transformers Film Review

Well, here it is, my very first film review.  This film sucked….ya, that pretty much sums it up.  Okay, to get one thing out of the way, this film looked absolutely amazing.  I saw it in 3D, which really doesn’t enhance the viewing experience much, but the special effects still were awesome.  Other than that this film was a huge letdown, but then again what Transformers film wasn’t? 

Let’s start with the story.  Holy shit this film was all over the place.  It started out as a conspiracy movie, which was actually pretty cool.  However it lasted all of, let’s say, 10 minutes?  This film is so spread out story wise that it ends up devoting very little time to each of it’s respective aspects.  The romance in the film really isn’t given much of a chance, and I already mentioned the conspiracy part.  There is also a betrayal portion which isn’t nearly as effective as it could be because, again, there wasn’t enough of a build up to it.  Oh, and there was also a globetrotting sequence that really served no purpose as well.  I think the screenwriter may have had ADD or something.

The acting was, in a word, horrendous.  The most talked about new cast member, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, is terrible in this film.  Sure, she is a complete and utter babe, but she can’t act worth a shit (Megan Fox had the same problem).  There is a hilariously bad scene in which we see Miss Huntington-Whitely staring off blankly in slow motion as shit blows up all around her.  Shia Labeouf gives a half hearted effort, but it is clear that he is fed up with all of this Transformers Nonsense.  Francis Mcdormand  and John Malkovich have no business being in this movie. Period.  How could such gifted actors end up in such a terrible movie?  They should fire their agents immediately.

Overall, this movie is an absolute mess.  In fact, the final hour of the film is just the humans running around while random shit blows up all around them.  There is very little clever dialogue and the battle scenes just end up dragging.  Michael Bay just can’t direct.  

I give this film a 2.5/10 because I’m feeling awfully generous.

Toodle-oo,

Dylan

In Other News

My day hasn’t started off very well.  As soon as I got up my mother started harping on me about all of this financial aid stuff that I was already in the process of dealing with.  I’m trying to get into the work study program at BSU so I don’t have to work at some stupid fast-food restaurant.  I also have to finish filling out this scholarship thing that I was awarded.  My day should be getting better, though.  I will be golfing at around 1:00 and will hopefully be able to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon tonight.  I really want to see it so can put my first film review up for this site.  To be honest, I really don’t expect much from this film, but whatever.  

In other news, the debt ceiling talks are starting to get interesting.  Barack Obama has said that progress is being made, which is a good thing I guess.  He has also said that will not sign a bill without tax increases on the rich.  Let’s hope he stands firm on that promise.  Obama is having a twitter town hall tonight, and I think that I will participate in it.  I will write something on the town hall for tomorrow.

The NFL STILL doesn’t have a labor deal done.  The lawyers from both sides are still sorting out what the contract will say.  Jesus I hope they get this deal done, because without it how will be able to witness yet another disappointing Minnesota Vikings season?  I’m sure this deal will get done, but I can’t say as much for the NBA labor deal.  It really seems like their won’t be a season next year.  And to think, I was really looking forward to seeing Ricky Rubio tear it up.  Oh well.

Lastly, the Roger Clemens trial begins today.  I’m sure it won’t be anywhere near as exciting as the Casey Anthony one, but whatever.  I’m sure that Roger Clemens took PED’s and I hope they send his ass to jail.  He is a friggin’ jerk.  Oh, and I am the only one who hopes that someone pulls a Jack Ruby on Casey Anthony?  Just a thought.

Toodle-oo,

Dylan