Sen. John McCain on SNL/The Obama Ad

(I think 'The Sad Grandpa' would work best hehe. Poor guy, he really sounds desperate na.)

McCain has good comic timing, too bad that the material written for him last Saturday was not that funny. I think SNL writers gave their everything for the Palin episode and had not much juice left for McCain.

Palin 2012? LOL! More like Tina Fey 2012! This woman is just awesome.

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ON a more somber note, here's Barack Obama's much-talked "American Stories" ad.



I dunno why but I think my cynicism has taken over again. When I first watched this ad, I was affected by the 'real life' stories of the 'ordinary Americans' featured. Now I'm a bit bothered by the apparent slickness of it all. It brings an undercurrent of fear into the picture, that if you don't vote for Obama, kawawa naman all these people in the ad, they will lose their jobs.

It portrays Obama as having the answer to everything. He says the right things you, as a voter, would want to hear from a candidate. And if you pay particular attention to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement, Obama is just the most perfect presidential candidate ever.

Obama has run a great, very emotional campaign. He sounds very sincere and he has touched a lot of hearts w/ his message of change and hope. Now my brain is just telling me there's something terribly amiss w/ him (aside from his cigarette smoking). Or maybe I'm just overanalyzing.

Cindy McCain supladita

WAS glued to the TV set this morning to watch Debate No. 2 between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. No doubt about it, Obama was the stronger debater. He answered most of the questions pointedly..."This is what I'm gonna do about the economy...pak! No. 1, pak! No. 2, pak! No. 3... He had the answers and McCain didn't. Obama knew what issues to prioritize (economy, healthcare), what areas should he cut spending (the war in Iraq), and where investments should be poured into (e.g. renewable/alternative energy to lessen the dependence on foreign oil).

Sure Obama waffled a bit in the area of foreign policy compared to McCain's "I looked at Putin straight in the eye and it was KGB spelled all over his face..." But then that's why Obama's choice of Sen. Joe Biden was excellent as the latter has the foreign policy experience. As for McCain, he doesn't have a good grasp of the economy and how the common working Americans are hurting from the economy. It's simply because he has lived off his wife Cindy's bank accounts most of his life, w/ more than four houses to their name, so how can he be expected to understand the plight of the rest of the US of A, where Americans are losing their homes? He needed a VP who would've beefed up his economic knowledge, or the little that he knows about it. Instead, he picks someone who doesn't know diddly squat about the rest of the world except that "when Putin rears his head, it will be in Alaska." You betcha!

(Cindy McCain ang tigas ng fez mo!)

And sorry to say, McCain really not only sounded awful but looked awful as well. Politics is a matter of perception. When you watch McCain hobbling around on his bad leg, his hair all white, and hyuk-hyuking like an idiot, it just spells OLD. Look here, I have nothing about old people. I enjoy listening to them prattle on about their lives and their experiences. And I'm sure if I had a chance to meet Sen. McCain, it would be nice to chat w/ him and listen to his war stories, parang like a Lolo making kwento to his grandchild.

But his age and physical disability isn't an advantage in the visual department when the electoral campaign is covered by TV and Internet. Seeing him walk around the deabte venue today looked like his time was up. McCain's moment to become president has already passed him. He needs to let go and give the job to someone younger, tougher, and brimming with creative ideas. And I'm not talking about Sarah Palin ha? Ick!

I am also not liking that Cindy McCain ha. Right after the debate she went into the hall, moved around with her husband, nodded her head in greeting the debate participants. (It was a town-hall style meeting which called for a lot of questions from participants.) But she was just stiff and cold. Her face was frozen w/ a fixed smile. Parang nanigas yung fez nya sa kaka-botox! And she did not shake hands with anybody except Obama's after the latter offered his hand in greeting. As for the studio audience, Cindy kept her distance and did not offer even her pinky. Sa true lang, She not only is suplada but actually looks like a tranny pa!

(Michelle Obama super fabulosa!)

In contrast, Michelle Obama turned on the charm. She moved among the debate participants, held out her hand to greet them, kissed a few. Picture-picture. So fabulosa pa! I super like her. She's like Obama who has a lot of charisma. He strides and walks tall among the people, very fashyon in his business suit, so guapo!

There is another debate on Thursday (Friday 9 am Manila time) and I doubt if any of these two will say something new. It is very obvious that things are conspiring to make Obama the next president of the United States. The economy is in recession which in any electoral season, will never favor the incumbent leader. And most Americans want to end the war in Iraq so Washington can concentrate on their needs on their home turf. They need a very dynamic and spirited leader who has a vision where America will be in 10 years.

So I'm pretty sure Obama will win in November. And I promise to eat steak everyday if that doesn't happen.

The VP debate (...snore)

THIS is a belated reaction to the U.S. Vice Presidential debate aired last Friday (Oct. 3).

Neither of the two VP candidates (Democrats' Joe Biden and Republicans' Sarah Palin) said anything persuasive enough to get their rival's voters to switch sides. There were no fireworks set off. Biden was just too restrained and gently handled his opponent, maybe too gently, he had no fire in the belly at all. He was almost boring.

Palin, on the other hand, didn't directly answer assertions made by Biden against her presidential ally Sen. John McCain perhaps because she didn't know his record well enough to defend him. All she had were prepared soundbytes to attack Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. C'mon we've heard all of that before.

Biden sometimes came off as professorial as he tried to explain their tax plan and Obama's voting record (...zzzzzzz). Palin may have held her own, thanks to her debate coach(es), but still appeared wet in the ears like Eliza Doolittle trying to learn how to speak proper English. Dontcha think both of them would make a great team if they starred in My Fair Lady?

(This cutie is gonna break a lot of hearts I tell 'ya! Piper photo from qudecide.wordpress.com)

Btw, the only thing I like about Palin is her daughter Piper. That kid is just sooo cute and she knows it! She looks like she's enjoying herself in the political arena...shaking hands with the old hands, and waving to the crowds. I bet this kid is gonna be the next politician in the family. And who knows, she might actually become VP! that is, if she doesn't follow in her Ate Bristol's footsteps. And let's hope she's not half as stupid as her hockey mom, golly gee, aw shucks. (Btw, have you heard the latest interview of Sarah Palin? She says she reads The Economist...you betcha! Sana sinama na din nya ang Wall Street Journal at Financial Times of London. Dagnamit!)

* * * *
WELL, I'm glad that debate's over. The next one between Obama and McCain (Oct. 8 9AM, RP time) should be exciting as it's going to be conducted in a town hall setting. I wish Obama loosens up a bit, and smiles more. Look at McCain, he looks like a cute grandpa when he giggles and smiles...not that it's gonna win him more votes.

With the U.S. economy slip sliding away, everyone pretty much expects Obama winning in November. It''s like a replay of the 1992 Presidential elections pitting Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush (without the Ross Perot factor). Then Clinton's campaign strategist James Carville came up with the most famous line which everyone is using again in the U.S. (and even here at home): "It's the economy stupid!"

The U.S. budget deficit is now $1.2 billion, unemployment at 6.1% with more Americans losing their jobs (159,000 in September alone, the ninth consecutive month of job cuts), and sub-prime credit mess exploding that a $700 billion bailout package had to be forged by the feds, even the war in Iraq has taken a back seat. All these factors are conspiring to make Obama look like the better presidential candidate than McCain. I'm crossing my fingers it would be so.

Martial Law in the U.S.?

WITH all that's been happening in the U.S....the sub-prime credit mess, collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the instability of its insurance industry and near collapse of its major investment houses, plus the continuing debate in the U.S. Congress over the bailout package, I am getting more convinced that the presidential election in November may not happen at all.

Far-fetched ya think?

President George W. Bush is sounding the alarm, issuing veiled threats, and predicting a depression that the U.S. economy may not be able to get out of in a while; he is saying you guys better get with the program and approve the bailout package or you're dead. Unfortunately, congressmen are hemming and hawing over the plan because they know their constituents are against it. Why give money to those stinking greedy CEOs with houses in the Hamptons, when the rest of America can hardly make the next mortgage payment?

I mean, stranger things have happened...the U.S. did go to war and invade Iraq on the wrong information that it had weapons of mass destruction. So there is a precedent for irrational behavior. Bush could very well declare martial law on the pretext of "saving" the economy. He can argue that he is only after the welfare of the public and national security, and that bailout package is the only way to get the economy back on its feet again. After all, the chief executives in the other countries were the ones egging him to put such a plan together. So Bush can say he is not only saving the U.S. but the global economy. He needs this bailout plan in place like yesterday.

Bush and a messianic complex? I wouldn't put it past him.

(Ballot box photo from newmediabytes.com.)

Survey na wala lang

BBC survey suggests Pinoys prefer Obama over McCain
09/16/2008 | 07:49 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Barack Obama will win the presidency if he is running in the Philippines, or in 21 other countries, results of a poll recently conducted by BBC World Service suggest.

The September 9 poll, done by BBC with Makati City-based firm M&S-Sigma Dos Philippines, Inc, showed that 46 percent of the Filipino adult respondents in the National Capital Region “would favor Barack Obama as president of the US." Only 22 percent of the respondents would pick John McCain.

Almost four of 10 Filipinos or 39 percent of the respondents “believe America’s relations with the rest of the world would improve if Obama were to be elected." Seventeen percent believe US relations with the world won’t change under an Obama presidency, while six percent of Filipinos “say they would worsen." (Click here for the rest.)

UNFORTUNATELY, we can't vote in the U.S. elections in November, unlike Filipino immigrants, most of whom are apparently swinging towards a McCain presidency. I've spoken with a number of older generation Fil-Ams who don't like Obama primarily because "he's black", he's "a Muslim" daw because his middle name is Hussein, and because he didn't pick Sen. Hillary Clinton as his running mate. Ahhh, e, i, o, u.

Can women have it all?

Something Like Life
Sept. 12, 2008

I HAVE tackled this question once before but, recently, the issue has come up again with the nomination of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican Party’s vice presidential bet. No doubt, this was a wise move on the part of the party’s presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, taking a cue from Sen. Hillary Clinton’s earlier presidential push which garnered a groundswell of support from many women voters.

Let me say here and now that except for Palin’s $375-Kazuo Kawasaki rimless titanium eyeglasses, which really look fabulous that I need to get me some, I don’t like her much. Her politics are muddy (e.g. pro-ban of certain books, anti-abortion, anti-gays, influence-peddling, just to name a few), and I think she’s ill-prepared to take over as US president in case, heaven forbid, McCain is incapacitated for some reason. Sure, Alaska may be just a Bering Strait away from Russia, but it appears it's the only foreign diplomatic issue Palin may be familiar with. How confident would Americans be with Palin seated across the Hamas and Israelis instead?

Her politics notwithstanding, the question is whether Palin can be an effective VP and help McCain run the most powerful nation on earth, while nursing a four-month-old baby with Down’s Syndrome and assisting her daughter Bristol in caring for an infant soon to be born. “Just how many diapers can a woman change at the same time?” as Jimmy Kimmel asks (ha-ha). In other words, can a woman really do everything? Can we have it all?

Patricia “Diday” Zamora-Riingen is the epitome of many Filipina executives of this day and age—she is young, smart, career-oriented, married and with kids.

Riingen is the head of Western Union here, and also oversees the Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia branches. Her job requires her to be frequently out of the country for meetings with her counterparts or her bosses. Not only that, Diday also manages Dome Café, the Zamora family’s restaurant. (Diday is the daughter of former banker and political power broker Manny Zamora.)

She is married to Leo Riingen, president and CEO of Informatics Holdings Philippines, and last year’s president of the Camera Club of the Philippines. They met at Procter & Gamble when they were both just starting in their careers. Now they have three kids ranging in age from nine to 15 years old.

As Diday herself tells it, she is able to accomplish a lot in her career and her family life because she has a great support system. “Well, my husband runs his own business so he has a more flexible time....And my support in the house [i.e. househelp] have been with me for a very long time.” Leo, she said, is on-hand to attend the Parents-Teachers’ Association meetings and bring their kids to the doctor for their medical checkups, among other responsibilities that are traditionally ascribed to women.

But on weekends, Diday says, she is focused on her family 100-percent. She switches off her work phone, cooks breakfast for her kids and Sunday dinners, lunches with her mother and accomplishes the other domestic errands like doing the grocery. “I do the grocery. Leo has no patience for it.”

(Tish Leizens, editor-in-chief, Our House)

Another example of a female go-getter is Tish Leizens (neé Perez), a former colleague here in Manila who has written for a Conde Naste trade publication. She is married to Ed Leizens, the security manager of the New York Science, Industry and Research Library, who is supportive of her career. “He always believed I had the potential to make more money than him. He is okay with that because he is very comfortable about who he is. None of that Filipino macho crap.”

Together they publish an interiors magazine, Our House", which Tish edits and, in a way, is their baby as they are currently childless (but still working at it!). Tish says that since she left Conde Naste to publish her magazine, she is now relying on Ed’s paycheck.

She is quick to assert that “women can have it all”—but also qualifies it by asking, “Can you balance everything?” Especially for women in the US, this is not so easy. They don’t normally have the housework support we Filpinos are accustomed to. So she advises married women with children who want to pursue their career to “go ahead and get a nanny, or maybe your husband can be the nanny. Nothing wrong with that. You’ll be surprised that some men might not want to work and would be happy playing with the kids.” (According to the US Census Bureau, there were about 170,000 stay-at-home fathers in 2007, three times higher than what it was 10 years ago.)

So Tish thinks that women can set out to do whatever they want to do, but they must set their priorities. “Be clear on what you want and just go get it.”

Granted that American women may be more adept at multi-tasking, having been brought up without nannies and the household help unlike most of us here in the Philippines; that doesn’t mean they’re having a ball right now balancing career and a family life.

The same is true here at home. Filipino women have been easing their way into the corporate boardroom for a long time, but many find it tough to still hold on to their traditional roles of mothers and domestic engineers.

Fortunately, there is a growing number of Filipino men—especially among the younger generation who have grown up under a two-parent work/home setup—who understand the difficulties their mothers, sisters or wives struggle with on the home front, and are willing to share the domestic duties, as well. I have many girlfriends whose husbands get home before them and already have the night’s dinner on the table. No canned foods, mind you, but fresh, hot and made from scratch.

Can a woman have it all? Yes, she can—as long as she has the proper support system around her to make a go of things. Let’s not kid ourselves. If we try to do everything ourselves, we will be either physically dead before we’re 50, or end up in the basement of a major hospital or, worse, be addicted to happy pills just to numb the physical or emotional stress. That said, men can’t do everything themselves, either.

The trick is to find the right man who will help you achieve your career goals and be around to assist you at home. And my cynicism notwithstanding, I am happy to report that a number of my gal pals have found such husbands, so they do exist. (Yes, the strong sensitive Filipino male has finally arrived!) And, of course, find a great housekeeper. Between you and me, though, it may be more of a challenge to find the latter.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Photos from BusinessMirror and Tish Leizens.)

Stand up and fight!

Fight! Fight! Fight! Celine L. 'kaw ba yan?


Okay, okay, I'm just teasing, hehe.

But I was almost on my feet today after watching Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's speech at the Republic National Convention, when he plead to the party delegates to stand up and fight. For sure McCain doesn't make the grade in public speaking unlike Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama; I think he overpracticed his speech. Still McCain was convincing in his arguments on why he should be President. I, of course, fell for his moving life story, of him being imprisoned in Hanoi Hilton, of breaking under torture from his captors, and of the impact it has made in his life.

I think McCain is sincere in wanting to improve the Republican Party by returning it to its progressive roots. (Abe Lincoln who freed the African slaves was a Republican btw.) He knows there is no other way to go if the party is to convince the American public that it is for the people and not just for the elite few. (The changes are being slowly instituted, firstly by not having President George Bush speak in person. The party is quite aware he is not popular and didn't want his presence to take away from the positivity that McCain is supposed to inspire.)

McCain spoke particularly to the swing voters, those who are still undecided because they think McCain is too old, while Obama is inexperienced. I think his speech today may have convinced some of them to vote for him, not only because of his life story, but because he had a more detailed platform for the economy than Obama had earlier presented at the DNC. And I have no doubt that he has a better grasp at foreign diplomacy than his VP Sarah Palin.

I always liked McCain, primarily because he is funny. I've watched him appear on several TV shows – Oprah, SNL, Ellen... the man is witty and has a self-deprecating humor. It may not count for much but I think a good leader must know not to take himself so seriously, and delude himself into thinking that he is God's gift to humanity. (Presidentita take note.) McCain amuses, Palin just condescends.

I just wish he didn't crib from the Democrats' main theme of change. In his speech, McCain said: "Change is coming", "We're going to change Washington" etc., also, "stand up and fight" which was vintage Al Gore, DNC presidential candidate in 2000, if I remember correctly. And yes, sana he chose a different VP.

Needless to say, McCain is a lot more intelligent, is better-read, and more traveled than Bush. He is certainly no buffoon. So if McCain does get elected as U.S. President in November, I think he will be able to turn the U.S. government around and rebuild it from the shambles that Bush has left it. Well, sana nga.

* * * *
But let's not delude ourselves that with a Republican win, the Philippines will likely receive more aid from the U.S. government, as some misinformed quarters suggest. The Philippines has not been on the list of foreign aid priorities of any donor country for the longest time. The fact of the matter is, we are no longer of any use for the Americans since their bases were removed from the country. Also, the Philippines is considered a more developed and stable economy — albeit with hiccups — compared to say, the African nations, which the U.S. government has prioritized in terms of official development assistance. (We mostly get second-hand Huey helicopters for our military forces, ngek.)

For fiscal year 2007, the Philippines was allocated a budget of $70 million by the US Agency for International Development. In FY 2006, it was $73.6 million. For FY 2008, the country will likely receive only $66 million. In contrast, U.S. development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa rose from $1.5 billion in 1996 to $6.6 billion in 2006. So clearly, those are the priorities of the U.S. government and will not likely change even if a Republican or Democrat wins the U.S. presidential elections.

Anyway, let's see how the campaign goes. Stay tuned for the first presidential debate on Sept. 26.
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The conventions now over, it's back to local issues for us: Inflation at 12.5%... gasp! Miriam won't seek presidency...thank you Lord!

Sarah who?

(The very chica Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin...dubbed the 'hottest governor in the coldest state' of the U.S.)

SO Sen. John McCain sprang a surprise among his supporters. And well, the rest of the world.

Unlike Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama – whose veep is a pretty popular guy in the halls of the Senate, Joe Biden, albeit more because of his often long, long speeches, hehe – McCain's chosen runningmate, Gov. Sarah Palin, is obviously a relative unknown on the national, much less, the international level.

She is no Geraldine Ferraro, thank you, who was the first woman ever to run for vice president. Nor a Hillary Clinton, who tried to be the first woman presidential candidate in U.S. history. Both women, before trying to get elected to the highest posts of the U.S. government, had some amount of national exposure because of their runs in Congress and their personal advocacies. (Although in fairview, like ko ang eyeglasses ng Lola Sarah...very nye!)

Palin's appointment is a pretty desperate attempt by the McCain group/Republican Party to get the women who still can't get over Hillary Clinton losing to Obama to switch to their side. I think American women are more intelligent than that (aren't all women anyway?!). They know McCain/the Republicans didn't get Palin because they believed she would be the most qualified (among the other veep contenders) to jump right into the president's shoes if, knock on wood, something happens to McCain if he does manage to snag the presidency. They chose her because she's a woman. Plain and simple. It's just a gimmick and I think most American women will see through that.

(Democratic Party Veep candidate Sen. Joe Biden...ang kayuut ng lolo na ito!)

I'm not knocking Palin's abilities, because being a mother, she can probably handle almost anything. And she supposedly has a reputation as a tough reformer. Pero, if you compare her to someone like Biden who has been around the halls of Congress far longer, and who has a firm grasp of both international and domestic issues, Palin's resume reads very short. I mean, what could have been the toughest decision she has had to make as a governor of Alaska? How to control the caribou population? Ayayay!

Hopefully, because Biden is a Catholic, Pinoys in the States will vote for the Obama-Biden ticket instead of pushing through with their threats of switching to McCain.

Click here for TIME magazine's profile on Sarah Palin. For Joe Biden's profile, click NYT.

And amid Typhoon Frank's devastation...

...here's another trite exchange between U.S. President George Bush and our very own presidentita. (Paging hubby Jon Stewart! Let's see this one on The Daily Show.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. (Laughter.)

President George W. Bush welcomes President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Republic of the Philippines to the Oval Office Tuesday, June 24, 2008, at the White House. The President expressed deep condolences for those affected by Typhoon Fengshen saying, "We, the American people, care about the human suffering that's taking place, and we send our prayers."

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Yes.

PRESIDENT BUSH: And the chef is a great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President.

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Thank you. (More here)

Watch the video. Katakot tumawa ang lola nyo. Kiliting-kiliti sa sinabi ni lameduck president.

And what totally inappropriate wardrobe! A lot of people died in the wake of Typhoon Frank, and yet she is dressed in red! Anovayan! Of course, it just so happens that that's the only color that suits her. Being short, she needs to stand out. But really...how lacking in sensitivity to what has happened back here.

Sa true lang, what's the purpose of this visit to George Bush? Mega-junket ng katakot-takot!

For sure nagsipsip ang lola nyo ke Obama and McCain. Just trying to make sure we have U.S. support whoever wins in November.

At baka me side trip to visit Joc-joc Bolante. Hingi ng cut pa nya at kulang. After all, we hear Joc-joc has sold (or is selling) his house in Alabang and all his cars. Tsk, tsk. He isn't planning to come back here that's for sure.

Kainez these people!

(Will post the video as soon as I figure out how. Stay tuned.)

The beginning was great...

...then it was downhill all the way.

I am referring particularly to the valedictory speech of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton this morning in Washington. She started off with a joke, saying, "Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company." Then proceeded to thank every Tom, Dick, and Harriet she could think of ("And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s..." josh ko 'day!), which made me switch back to Tim Gunn's Guide to Style.

Then she goes on to pat herself on the back, for fighting a good fight, put in a few plugs about her pet program – universal health care – then finally gets to the meat of the matter...her endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama as Democratic Party presidential candidate. I just noticed, however, how she punctuated her sentences and stressed each word in the portions where she talked about herself adoringly, but in the portions where she endorses Obama and underscores his accomplishments, she just rushes through them, flat without emotion. Walang kagana-gana.

Of course, she's hurting because she lost the nomination. And yes, I cannot take away the fact that she fought the good fight and almost made it as the first female presidential candidate of the U.S. (I doubt though if she would have beaten Sen. John McCain.) But in her speech, she couldn't be more obvious about her disappointment at not reaching her goal...so she kept on lifting herself up. Nagbubuhat ng sariling bangko, as we say in these parts.

It seemed as if she was sending a mixed message to her supporters, underscoring how difficult it will be to campaign to get Obama into the White House. I dunno, maybe I was just reading too much into her lack of enthusiasm in her endorsement. I sure hope to God Obama doesn't choose her as his running mate. Di sila bagay talaga. She will emasculate him. Moreso, that her husband Bill CIinton, the former U.S. President, is going to be around...it's going to be a very crowded White House if that happens.

Speaking of Bill, the last Democrat who occupied the White House, he looked visibly disappointed by the result of the caucuses. He couldn't hide his dismay, unlike daughter Chelsea, who looked genuinely relieved and happy over the outcome. While watching Hillary's speech on CNN and observing her husband's body language, I couldn't help but think that he was in the dumps because having Hillary at home meant less booty-call time for him...haha. Or perhaps Hillary already gave him a lickin'. After all, he did make a few enemies along the campaign trail, him being a loose cannon and all, which is one of the reasons she lost the nomination.

Anyhoo, all eyes will be on the November elections. It's going to be an exciting time in the U.S.