Convention Countdown

(My blogging continues to be hampered by computer technical issues as noted in previous post and comments.)

Up date 8/23/08 -- News sources announce:

Democratic Vice Presidential Choice is

Sen. Joe Biden

The countdown to officially select U. S. presidential candidates continues. The two major political party 2008 national conventions begin:

Democratic – Monday, August 25^th in Denver, Colorado

Republican --Monday, September 1^st in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

All the other political parties have selected their candidates. There are a total of fourteen including some Independents and at least one write-in office-seeker you may read about at Wikipedia. ( Information is generally reliable at this site, but be aware of how the site is developed.)

We all know the primary parties presidential candidates identities and have known for many weeks. Yet, until the official nomination processes are completed the process is not official. The candidates have yet to announce their selection of a vice presidential running mate though Barack Obama has tantalizingly revealed his selection has been made. He will reveal this information at any time and provides a link on his website that will provide viewers the opportunity to be recipients of his announcement:

Barack Obama's Vice President Selection at "First To Know"

When John McCain announces his Vice Presidential choice and the political conventions conclude, we will begin to experience very intense campaigning until voting in our national election on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

The latest poll results I've read indicate the two major candidates are basically statistically tied. Obviously, this is a pretty critical election, so all those voters who haven't yet chosen the candidate for whom they'll vote will be doing so over these remaining months before election day the first Tuesday in November.

I think we need to attend to candidates stances on the critical issues, demand they specifically discuss them, especially if.....

• we want domestic change from the status quo.

• we desire to re-establish democracy with individual rights and privacy that our constitution written by the founders of our country intended for us.
  

• we hope to regain respectability in the world.

We need to reject any candidate employing the divisive strategies of our most recent previous elections under the guise of playing on emotional issues, personal belief systems that do not belong in the political and legislative arena. Candidates who do so and voters supporting them betray the purpose and function of government in the interest of political gain at the expense of the very system of governance we profess to desire.