Obama and the GOP
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Well Obama just got Rick Rolled this afternoon by his Commerce Secretary nominee Sen Judd Gregg (R-NH). Gregg who agreed a few weeks ago to position somehow came to the notion that there are irreconcilable differences and he must step down. It blows me away that Judd didn't think about this before, that he would be supporting Obama's positions and not the positions of the GOP leadership. Well in typical Washington fashion, one of the few remaining senators who actually believed in bi-paritisanship just showed his true colors. I don't know if the GOP leadership or Rush Limbaugh spooked him but someone did for him to bow out and throw Obama under the bus.
This speaks volumes of the GOP, they are nothing but a bunch of crybabies that still can't realize why they are no longer in power. Everything to them is politics, scorched earth policy and when someone is willing to work with them will strike out when their backs are turned. They are just a bunch of useless twats that only want to see Obama fail and use it as a political weapon in the next election. Now Obama will stand tall and take the current political menuevering as same old DC but I have a feeling the GOP will get burned big time in the near future. I see Obama steam rolling them and laughing all the way.
With next to no GOP support on the stimilus I say use it againt the GOP in the next election cycle. Expose them as the frauds that they are and how they put politics above the country. And btw, this will be the biggest tax cut passed in US history, and by a democrat. This is what pisses the GOP off most.
Posted by mardenhill 2/12/2009 06:00:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: Politics
Travel Alaska
Sunday, January 18, 2009
While getting the mail this weekend I noticed a letter with a giant Seal of the State from Alaska and the Office of the Governer. Quickly I opened it thinking, wow Governer Sarah Palin must be congratulating me for helping defeat her and John McCain but no instead it was a travel brochure request. Interesting that Palin would use a photo of herself, I would think a moose, whale or sled dog would have been much better. Over the last 4 months we have all learned that Sarah Palin loves the attention and will do anything to remain in the spotlight and that includes pimping out her own state.
I have been to Alaska twice, once to the interior where I stayed in Anchorage, went whale watching in the Kenai Peninsula and flew around Mt. McKinley. The 2nd time was on a cruise where we walked on a glacier, canoed thru a rainforest and rode bikes thru the changing elevations. Alaska is a beautiful state and one I would definitely go back to but pleas from Sarah will not bring me there. Sorry Sarah I am not giving up my information to your "travel dept" because if I know anything about Alaska and their local politics this information would only be used by you to further advance your crazy agenda.
Posted by mardenhill 1/18/2009 11:53:00 AM 0 comments
Dubya 2.0?
Thursday, December 04, 2008
You would think it was George Bush with shenanigans like this. If the US Constitution had such a provision you know damn well the GOP would have tried to use it. Anyways for those who have not been following the Canadian Circus, it goes something like this. The conservative Prime Minister recently won re-election over a piss poor opposition candidate. Since then the opposition Liberals, New Democrats and the separatist Bloc Quebecois all to the left of the Conservatives had signed a deal to defeat the Conservatives and put forward a Liberal-New Democrat coalition to form a new government. To avoid the vote, the current PM Stephen Harper had Parliament suspended until next year hoping by then the other parties would turn on each other and forget about the no confidence vote.
This is one of the things I love about other countries, within Parliment you can vote no confidence and boot people out. It makes for great political theatre and you don't have to wait 4 years to do it. Unfortunately that is not an option here in the US. You can draw up articles of impeachment but with a 2 party system they tend not to get very far.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4B34BC20081204
Posted by mardenhill 12/04/2008 10:14:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
The Big 3
Its been very interesting watching the Big 3 in front of congress begging for money. The first time they show up on their private jets with no plans which wasn't really any different than the crooks on Wall Street who were given piles of cash no questions asked. They were reprimanded and sent back to Detroit with nothing. This time around they all drove hybrids with Chrysler driving a huge SUV which even as a hybrid still wasted a ton of gas. Anyways they had plans in hand and still received a beating today. It amazes me how the GOP is dead set against giving any money but didn't put up much a fight when it was time to bail out wall street. Hopefully the Big 3 execs have finally realized that the GOP do not care about them and just being rich isn't a good reason to support the party. As a resident of MI, I believe there should be a bailout to the Big 3 but with major strings attached. I for one have complained about the lack of choices in cars the last few years and the reliance on large SUVs. I think the Big 3 should be forced to raise CAFE standards and not just meet but exceed levels currently set 10 years out. I also blame the MI legislation who carried the water for these companies and pushed back on fuel economy. Yet another reason for me to hate Carl Levin in a long line of complaints.
I hold the Big 3 execs, the union, DC congress and local legislation to blame for all of this. The writing was on the wall years ago but all were too stupid to see and ignored the warning signs. As a capitalist society we should let them fail since the market dictates who wins and who loses. Unfortunately we cannot do this since we have already bailed out wall street and therefore must do the same here.
Btw, all the CEOs need to go, they are worthless hacks who have done nothing right. Nardelli should go first since he is the biggest loser out of them all followed by Wagner.
Posted by mardenhill 12/04/2008 05:39:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: Politics
Republican Battle Royle
Sunday, November 16, 2008
But Gingrich, an architect of the Republican revolution of 1994, took Palin down a notch, asserting that she would not become the party’s leader, as some have predicted.
“I think that she is going to be a significant player,” said Gingrich during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation”. “But she’s going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She’s not going to be the de facto leader.”
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Way to go Newt, lets add to the civil war that is currently festering in the party. Nothing like going out there and taking a baseball bat to Palin's kneecaps. I understand he needs to do this in order to promote himself as the new leader but its not even 2 weeks after the election. I tell ya, its going to be a long 4 years of watching the GOP tear each other down in order to find a candidate for 2012. I for one will be enjoying it immensely, I want to see the party drift further and further to the right and in the process alienate any moderate that may have been on board. At their current rate they will be marginalized to a southern and partial western party. All the GOP pundits will still go on and on about how this country is center-right but they don't seem to understand that the GOP controlled all 3 branches up til 2006 and since then lost all 3. To me I am not sure how you can consider the country center-right if the majority of people are willing to toss the republican brand to the curb.
Anyways, I see Newt gaining for a while but he will end up losing the nomination to a younger governer and not Palin. He will destroy his opponents to the point that Obama will roll over them in 2012. Newt will be to blame for destroying the GOP brand under the Obama years and will be banished from the party for good. He will then cozy up to Pat Buchanan as a conservative outsider.
Posted by mardenhill 11/16/2008 10:23:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Michigan Wine Shipping Ban
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Once again our jackass Michigan Legislature is screwing the state with late night bills that would ban shipments of wine from out of state wine retailers. Right now vineyards can ship wine, the Supreme Court gave them the right and this isn't be challenged. Instead its the out of state retailers as well as in state retailers who may have internet stores setup for shipments. The legislation that just passed the House Regulatory Reform Committee 6-0 would require that all beer and wine sold in Michigan by retailers go through the state supplier-to-wholesaler-to retailer distribution network. The fear mongering is back once again, "save the children", "don't let underage kids buy alcohol over the internet". The wholesalers are also talking about money lost as well, but they cloak it in taxes to the state instead of their profits. How many times do we need to go over this, underage kids are not interested in ordering bottles of wine over the net, they are not going to spend the money nor wait for a bottle to arrive. They are interested in getting drunk that night and for cheap.
I guess its time to contact my local representative, unfortunately Andy Meisner is on his way out and onto Oakland Country Treasurer. He was on my side with the legislation last time around, I just hope my new Rep Ellen Cogen Lipton will be as well.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081114/POLITICS/811140352/1423/LIFESTYLE10
Posted by mardenhill 11/15/2008 12:35:00 PM 1 comments
President Elect Obama
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Everyone is calling it and as of now Obama has won. I still don't know the final Electoral Vote or Popular Vote total but who cares, Obama is our next president!!!!!
The Dems also picked up a number of Senate seats, probably not enough to reach 60 and I expect Joe Leiberman to caucus with the GOP which will keep the Dems from the filibuster proof majority. We can only hope that Sen Collins from Maine will change her mind and side with the Dems.
Right now the celebration is going on at Grant Park in Chicago and the footage is amazing. What an amazing night and its about time an election has gone my way......
Posted by mardenhill 11/04/2008 11:07:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Election Coverage
I switched from my usual MSNBC to HDnet for election coverage. I have grown tired of Keith Olbermann and since they didn't give Rachel Maddow the anchor chair it was time to watch Dan Rather over on HDnet instead. Good ole Dan was great tonight, not a ton of witty comments but fair and accurate reporting. Now that its 10pm its onto Comedy Central for Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert.....
Anyways, its looking great for Obama and for the some of the other races I have been following.
Elizabeth Dole lost her senate seat which rocks since she ran a despicable campaign and lost fair and square. She sealed her own fate with her Godless attack ads and people saw thru it.
Now all we need to do is beat Rep Bachmann which is still too close but can be done.
In our local US Congressional race, Gary Peters is currently leading Joe Knollenberg and this would be a major upset for the GOP.
Right now Obama is at 202 in Electoral Votes with many more states still to report.....
Posted by mardenhill 11/04/2008 10:01:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Number 232
I was number 232 in line this morning for voting and ended up waiting over an hour and a half to vote. We got there at 7:20 am and the line was wrapped thru the hallways. I don't mind the wait but I have to say the check in needs some major work. They separate you by your last name then you wait in line to show your ID. At that point you wait in another line to get your ballot then a 3rd line to have the number taken down for the ballot. They had the oldest lady checking off names and while the A-L line was just a few people long the M-Z was 10x that. We figured out that it had to do with the lady since our line started moving and the other started backing up. We got to the front and saw that they swapped the ladies checking people off. Hello Berkley, lets not put the Guinness Book of World Records for oldest poll worker working the line, put her somewhere else where she doesn't have to verify names. Anyways I voted and for the 2nd time was able to write my name in against Sen. Carl Levin whom I hate since he disenfranchised me back in January. I know Levin will win but I don't care, the guy's a tool and will never get my vote for as long as he is in office.
Posted by mardenhill 11/04/2008 11:33:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Latest Political Fodder
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
With 7 days before the election, the GOP are pulling no punches in their attacks on Obama and the democrats. Every day its a new socialist charge and even a communist one from the idiot Sen. Mel Martinez down in Florida. It started with Palin, then moved to a bunch of surrogates and onto congress and the senate. It amazes me how the GOP became so unhinged, so sloppy and off message. This is supposed to be the party of lemmings where everyone follows the leader and never deviates. Fortunately those days are over and moderate repubs are attaching themselves to Obama and distancing from Bush and McCain. They will end up losing their seats but at least it was a valiant effort. On the flip side, the bigots of the party are aligning themselves with Palin and throwing bombs left and right. They don't seem to care and figure if they are going down they will go down taking as many people with them. I am not sure if they realize they are losing a whole generation of people and with the current path will solidify their future in the minority. The Real America, Pro America rhetoric may be good for the base but it does no justice when it comes to bringing new people into the fold.
There are talks of excommunication in the GOP, if you trash Palin or endorse Obama its over for you. And to think that just a few years ago Karl Rove thought he was on track to establish a permanent republican majority. There are people who actually believe Palin is the future of the party. Sorry to burst your bubble but Romney is waiting in the wings and will stop at nothing to regain top dog. I would love to Romney duke it out with Palin, both will sink to news lows and use hate and fear to secure their position. If you though the "latte liberals" vs "working class" was bad just wait for the Romney/Palin show.
Posted by mardenhill 10/28/2008 08:04:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Rep. Michelle Bachmann Update
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
This goes to show how stupid the GOP is and how ignorant many members of congress really are. Rep. Michelle Bachmann is now playing the victim card here and now blames Chris Matthews for her own words. She didn't mean to say that Obama was Anti American and that all members of congress should be investigated, it was all Matthews fault by his repeating it over and over. She also goes on to say that she hasn't watch the show before and didn't expect to walk into a trap. For starters, either Michelle is lying or she is the stupidest person on the planet. No one in their right mind goes onto a show without research ahead of time. Either she has bad handlers and staffers or she is outright lying. Michelle knew what she was doing, she was given the GOP talking points and ran with them. She didn't expect the ground swell that would ensue and that her words would have raised over $750,000 for her opponent. Now she is crying foul and wants everyone to believe she was taken advantage of. Give me a break, everyone in congress and DC knows who Chris Matthews is, they know his show isn't a cakewalk and if you are not prepared then you will get burned. Also this isn't Bachmann's 1st time on tv, she has frequently made the talkshow rounds and loves the camera. I really hope the voters of Minnesota send this 1st term congresswoman packing.......
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Speaking with the St. Cloud Times on Tuesday, Bachmann said she regretted suggesting that Barack Obama held “anti-American” views. Referencing Chris Matthews by name 12 times in a 6 minute interview, Bachmann portrayed herself as the victim of a clever ploy devised by the MSNBC host:
Chris Matthews laid a trap, and I walked into it. […]
Chris Matthews was using the term over and over, and I should not have used it. […]
This was Chris Matthews. I made a big mistake by going on the show. I never should have. […]
I just didn’t recognize — I never watched the Chris Matthews show before. I should have before I went on. I didn’t recognize that he would lay a trap the way that he did.
Posted by mardenhill 10/22/2008 11:16:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Latest Jackass In Congress
Saturday, October 18, 2008
While watching Hardball with Chris Matthews yesterday, I and many others were amazed at what we saw. Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota ranted for 7 minutes smearing and slandering Barack & Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and anyone for that matter who consider themselves liberal.
Rep. Bachmann basically said that if you are a liberal you are Anti-American which is a common gutter theme the GOP loves to push but not usually on national TV. Chris Matthews who usually dominates his segments picked up on her sentiments early on and with each question led the moronic representative into the black hole of McCarthyism. Its not like Matthews had to a lot of work here, Bachmann was well on her way and ignored the stop signs and showed her true colors. The good news is that she is an a close race and ActBlue stepped in to raise money for her opponent and at this time is close to $200,000. Lets hope her bigoted views are her downfall and this newly elected congresswoman is sent packing come Nov 4th.
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Quotes from the show
Matthews later pressed her to name a single member of Congress other than Obama who she thought was anti-American. Bachmann, who initially wouldn't budge, called for a major "expose" into the matter.
"What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out if they are pro-America or anti-America," she said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/gop-rep-channels-mccarthy_n_135735.html
Posted by mardenhill 10/18/2008 04:02:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
If The Election Were Held Today
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Here is a snapshot of the Electoral Votes if the election were held today. Obama would win the presidency with 329 to McCain's 194. Mind you these numbers are just gathered from multiple polls and this site changes quite frequently depending on how each candidate does. It has been trending Obama for the last month but by a very slim margin with more toss up states. If the map holds true I except Obama's lead to be quite higher since I think he will win Colorado. Florida I am not to sure of but it would be a great slap in the face to the GOP if Obama wins this along with North Carolina and Ohio. At that point the GOP brand will have been destroyed and its rebuilding time. The Dems are also projected to pick up additional senate seats and will be 2 away from a filibuster proof majority.
I am still leary of polling since it doesn't include many younger people who do not have land lines and only live on cell phones. I have been cell phone only for the last 8 years and have never been polled. There are many more like me and chances are they will be voting for Obama.
http://www.electoral-vote.com/
Posted by mardenhill 10/05/2008 10:12:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Political Stunt
Thursday, September 25, 2008
For once the media got it right and called John McCain out on his latest political stunt on "suspending" his campaign to return to DC for the bailout legislation. Mind you, McCain does not sit on this committee nor has he voted since April but somehow we are to believe he really cares and can do something about the current crisis. Just like in the past, McCain has parachuted in at the 11th hour to claim he reached across the aisle and created some bi-partisan legislation. This time he doubled down and runs the risk of looking like an idiot also derailing the plan all together. He is stuck, either he backs Bush and pisses off the House Republicans who already hate him or he sticks with Boehner and the House and destroys the plan. This isn't country first, this is John McCain first and a last ditch effort to save his campaign which has been spirialing out of control. He is in a massive freefall and does not know what to do. His campaign is in a disarray and the hacks he has advising him are only bringing him down.
The Sarah Palin choice is imploding as well which is why she is so tightly controlled. Her latest interview with Katie Couric was a disaster where she couldn't name a piece of financial legislation McCain proposed and continued to push the line that living next to Russia makes you fluent in foreign policy. Hey I live next to Canada, I am only 35 minutes away, I am now qualified to be Vice President.
I do hope he shows up to the debate tomorrow night otherwise he looks like a wimp for ducking the affair. There is no time out and I expect my president to be able to multi task. Obviously McCain cannot do this therefore needs to be as far away from the White House as possible.
Posted by mardenhill 9/25/2008 10:08:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
McCain's Very Bad Day
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Blames Wall Street Crash On "Fat Cats" Who Are His Biggest Donors... Press Pack Stages Mini-Insurrection... WATCH: Gets Testy With Morning Anchor ... Conservative Columnists Turn On Ticket... Major Surrogate Says McCain-Palin Couldn't Run A Company... Adviser: McCain Helped Invent Blackberry
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This is the headline on Huffington Post and a great one at that. This morning I watched John get all bent out of shape while on his Morning Joe interview. Then the line about him inventing the Blackberry nearly made me fall out of my chair. Did anyone ever tell John that Research In Motion is a Canadian company? I know it was a staff member who made the comment but it is one that will stick. At that point Carly Fiorina when asked if Sarah Palin could run a company she said no but then tried to backtrack and say that being VP was nothing like running a company. You could have fooled me because the Bush Admin ran on treat Washington like a corporation the last 8 years. Lets hope all this hoopla spills over until tomorrow that way the world can really see McCain's testy side and that elusive temper we all have heard about.
The whole Sarah Palin fiasco has been a sideshow circus and now that the novelity is starting to wear off people can finally see how McCain sold his soul to be president. He is nowhere near a maverick, nowhere near his persona back in 2000. Even Karl Rove said his last round of ads went too far. Its about time the media woke up and realized that they have been had. McCain has played them for years and its about time to return the favor.
John McCain has no idea about economics and the state of the country, he has proven that day after day. Just think, it only took the implosion of the stock market by a bunch of ignorant and criminal CEOs to prove it. Do we really need another catastrophe to show the country that McCain is no good?
Posted by mardenhill 9/16/2008 08:40:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Dem Convention Day 4
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Obama officially accepted the party's nomination tonight and gave an amazing speech probably one of his best. In front of 85K people, Obama laid out his plan for the future and in the process took a few shots at McCain and the GOP. It was nice to see the fighting side of Obama, we all knew it was there but he kept it hidden throughout the primaries. I guess it was another one of his plans, to keep everyone guessing and the interest alive. For months Obama did run on lofty rhetoric but I expected the concrete ideas would surface once the nomination was over.
It will be hard for the GOP to try and top this convention, they know they can't but are still sitting there freaked out not knowing what to do. They will recycle the same old tired themes, will attempt to use fear and attack Obama's character since they have nothing else. Although the hits have hurt Obama he has learned how to withstand the kitchen sink while running against Hillary and this will help him against the GOP.
I am interested to see the temperment issue play out and I expect to see McCain reach his boiling point over it and explode in an interview or debate. If this happens it will be the end of the campaign. It will not look like a waking lion instead like a grumpy old man who fell asleep on the porch. McCain has his hands full and you know that every other guy who ran is secretly happy inside they lost.
Posted by mardenhill 8/28/2008 11:46:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Dem Convention
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Well we are into the 2nd night of the Dem's convention and no real fireworks. Last nite was nice, Sen Edward Kennedy spoke as did Michelle Obama. Both were great speeches but no attacks. I was expecting more fire tonight and so far its been pretty tepid. Hillary is on next and although she will throw a few jabs out the speech will be more about her. That leaves tomorrow and at that point we are over half way thru. The Dems did this in '04 and it pissed me off. If they don't get off their asses and attack McCain and the Bush Administration I will have to go in and knock some skulls.
Posted by mardenhill 8/26/2008 10:19:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Joe Biden
Monday, August 25, 2008
Its a few days old but I just wanted to congratulate Obama on his choice for VP. I have been a fan of Joe Biden for a while now and thought it would be a great pick but didn't expect it. I figured that Obama would save Joe for Secretary of State but now that leaves the position open for Bill Richardson. Joe will be a great attack dog and although he is gaffe prone, he has the luxury of the media just laughing about it vs dwelling. He gets the same free pass that McCain gets when it comes to being a Maverick.
Its going to be an interesting and quite exciting campaign season. There will be no punches pulled and I think you will see a more disciplined and united Democratic party that is ready to fight.....
Posted by mardenhill 8/25/2008 08:05:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
VP Update
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Well I have been reading some of the blogs and other internet postings and many believe the Biden is just a smokescreen. I can see that and in reality Biden would be 1st in line for Sec of State in an Obama administration. Hillary keeps popping back up so who knows. Maybe Obama announced her Tuesday time slot as a swerve to keep the talk elsewhere or maybe she is speaking and there is no chance for a spot on the ticket. Its hard to say, the polls are tightening but then those who are polled do not reflect the changing population. The majority of younger people under say 35 don't have land lines and just live off of cell phones. These people are never polled and I can vouch for this. I have been cell only for 8 years now and never receive telemarketers or surveys. The media needs to make this a horse race for ratings and the 24 hr news cycle so most of the what you hear tends to be just BS anyways.
McCain's VP choice is also interesting with Tom Ridge and Joe Lieberman making their way into the mix. Both are pro choice which would piss off the hard core right and evangelicals who already do not like McCain. There is also a chance that if Obama doesn't pick Hillary or another woman McCain will and that could be former eBay CEO Meg Whitman or the governer of Alaska. If McCain were to do this and Obama played it safe with a white male then McCain wins round one. This doesn't guarentee the GOP a victory but it does put the millions of boomer women who hate Obama in an interesting position.
Posted by mardenhill 8/19/2008 09:37:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
VP Soon
Monday, August 18, 2008
Well its down to the wire and just a few more days for Obama to keep us in suspense over his VP choice. Rumors are floating that it may be as early as tomorrow or late as Friday. I have a feeling it will be either Thursday or Friday, probably Thursday that way there is a whole day of news before the weekend.
As for choices, well Obama has some good ones and a number of duds. The lackluster choices in my book would be Sen Evan Byah from Illinois. I know its a safe choice but come on, the guy is a total bore and couldn't fight his way out of a brown paper bag. Next on the list would be Governer Tom Kaine of Virginia. The guy is nice but I don't think two newbies will go over well in the general election. Sen Hillary Clinton, there are too many things that are wrong with this scenario and we all know it won't happen.
Personally I would like to see Sen Joe Biden, I used to think he was an idiot and only wanted to hear himself talk but I grew to like the guy and think he would be a great VP. Biden is brilliant when it comes to foreign policy and the inner workings of DC. He may be gaffe prone but he is very good and diffusing the comments with humor. I don't like the idea of running 2 senators again but with Biden I could overlook that. If not VP then Secretary of State. My 2nd choice would be Gov Bill Richardson of New Mexico. His resume is chalkful of great accomplishments and anyone willing to go against the Clinton's get fist bump in my book. It will be interesting to see which way Obama goes and how it will play out in the general.
Posted by mardenhill 8/18/2008 10:28:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
