President-Elect Obama invited Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to his transition team’s headquarters in Illinois today to clear the air and move forward. In what began as a clearly awkward meeting, Obama’s official Change.gov website released the following statement:

“We had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington,” President-elect Obama and Senator McCain said in a joint statement released after the meeting. “We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation’s security.”

In order for Obama to be successful to any degree in his upcoming term, he must develop relationships with prominent officials on both sides of the political spectrum. So far, Obama is doing just that. He wants to run a bi-partisan administration which promotes inter-connectedness and cooperation amongst both Republicans and Democrats. Obama wants and needs to create a government not dialed back by party differences, but a government that works together with one common goal – working for the benefit of the American people and for the American nation.

This meeting that Obama called for with McCain is the first step towards mending any woes that were created during the long Presidential campaign.

In order for Obama to see any level of success, he needs to reach out to his opponent and attain a common ground. Senator McCain has vast knowledge in areas of energy, military, and varying views on economic policy, among many other areas of expertise. By working with McCain, Obama will likely gain the support of McCain advocates, and see easier results in working with the Senate and Congress.

Many have begun speculating that McCain may find himself with a seat in Obama’s administration, specifically a cabinet-level position. Realistically, this is looking less like a reality. But McCain will more than likely play a large role in the Obama administration, offering his input on various issues and lending his Congressional pull.

President-Elect Obama has made many relationships in the Senate as a Senator for the State of Illinois the past few years. He will need to utilize these friendships to create a government that can bring about the drastic changes he has proposed and the changes that this country needs. Obama has walked into a pile of problems, both economically and politically, that need to be fixed. And he has his work cut out for him.

Easing the tensions between his campaign rival McCain will certainly help.

Below is the press video released of the two’s initial meeting and praiseful remarks.

Unfortunately for Senator John McCain (R), none of this engagement was apparent. No text messaging service was available for supporters of McCain to receive up-to-the minute information and news updates. McCain ran his campaign in a traditional fashion, campaigning throughout the country, holding fundraisers and public information sessions. But in the new age world dominated by technology that we live in today, McCain’s old school politics didn’t cut it.

His campaign began to unfold and it was apparent nearing the final days of the campaign trail that the McCain campaign was in shambles.

Rewinding the clock a couple of months ago, Senator John McCain arose as the Republican front-runner and Republican nominee for Presidency. A decorated war veteran and a clearly established political career supported the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) endorsement of John McCain to represent their party in the 2008 Presidential race.

Fast forward to August 30th, 2008. The headlines read: McCain taps Alaska Gov. Palin as vice president pick.

Who? Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, Governor since 2006, and prior to her role as Governor, a City Mayor and Councilwoman. Qualifications where? Governor Palin took this nomination as a chance to diva-fy herself, to advance her political career once the McCain campaign began unfolding. Leading up to election day behind in the polls, Palin positioned herself looking forward to 2012. Leaks began trickling out from within the McCain campaign team that Palin was taking her newfound fame to a new level. Acting like a diva and lashing out at staff, she acted in a manner unprofessional and disturbing.

.

“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” said this McCain adviser, “she does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else. Also she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: divas trust only unto themselves as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”

The turmoil that was a result of Palin’s actions led the McCain campaign into a downward spiral. Without clear direction and answers to the problems this country was facing, this inner-turmoil was a detriment the campaign did not need. Strike One.

McCain’s opponent in this election, meanwhile, was systematically connecting and engaging the people of this country, running a well-connected and digital campaign in an age of new media. As the race inched closer to November 4th, endorsements began swarming in for the Senator from Illinois. Retired General and Republican Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama the week of October 19th. Major newspapers even backed the Illinois Senator. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Chicago Tribune all issued their public support for Obama. Even the Anchorage Daily News backed Obama, despite their state’s Governor on the opposing ticket. So who’s support did John McCain receive? The likes of Vice President Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush, among other prominent Republican figures top the list. In a political environment quite frankly fed up with the policies and politics of the last eight years, receiving the endorsement of the two masterminds of the last eight years served not as steps forward, but as detriments to the overall campaign.

Joe Biden responded to the news of Cheney’s endorsement by saying:

“If you ever had any doubt that John McCain would continue George Bush’s policies — you can put those to rest. Just today, Vice President Cheney came out and endorsed John McCain. Do we need any more proof? I’m not surprised. Dick Cheney has been wrong on everything else the last eight years. He’s on a roll.”

Strike Two.

Going back to the topic of engagement, Barack Obama was successful in getting millions of first time voters to not only register, but countless others to vote for the first time. Many voters feeling distant from the political process had a renewed sense of importance this election year. Voter turnout set new records. Long lines cascaded around buildings. And people waited. They waited to vote. This new group of voters catered to the new age of politics, one intertwined with technology and pro-choice thought.

When a highly conservative and immensely disliked organization such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) CEO Mitch Bainwol offered his public support for John McCain, heads turn and faces scowl. The RIAA has become one of the most hated public organizations by the young demographic of voters that Bainwol’s support blew a detriment to, a category of voters McCain was already struggling to attain.

Strike Three.

From unattractive websites, smearing and uninformative advertising campaigns, to suspending the campaign in the wake of an economic disaster, Senator John McCain led a campaign that was in shambles. Its directions were unclear. Its change from the past eight years were unseen and indistinguishable. His position as the 44th President of the United States gone.

For the GOP, selecting Senator John McCain as the Republican nominee was a wrong choice for the party. He was not the man for this country, at least at this time. We need change, and McCain is 90% Bush, 100% more of the same.

Photo Credit: TruthDig

McCain kicked off the final campaigning day this morning in Tampa, Florida, where he was greeted by a crowd of roughly 1,000 supporters. Nothing seems wrong with this picture, until it is given some perspective. There was just something missing this morning at the rally – and that missing component was the crowd. Expecting a crowd ten times the size that showed up, the McCain campaign has to be feeling worrisome.

Even FOX News correspondent Carl Cameron couldn’t muster up a way to spin the surprisingly small crowd, saying:

“Last night in Miami Sen. McCain arrived for a midnight rally and had more than 10,000 people in Miami. Today in Tampa, for a morning event, it’s a small crowd, only about 1,000. And I can tell you is it looks like it was set up with the perimeter and all for about 10 times this crowd. In addition, you’ll note that there are no actual McCain signs here…They believe that their 72-hour get-out-the-vote exercise will make the difference,” [Cameron] said. “That is one of the reasons why the size of this crowd is a little bit disturbing for the McCain campaign.”

These small crowds are not anything new to the McCain campaign either, and unfortunately for them, time is running out. Reports are trickling in of diminishing support and weakening public opinion. Signs of small crowds should be the beginning of warning signs for the McCain campaign that John’s second big for the White House is coming to an end.

Photo Credit: Akbrian

Much like the comedic endorsement from George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live a couple weeks ago (portrayed by Will Ferrell), producers tried to make it clear that a “vote for John McCain is a vote for George W.” Ferrell used the punch-line “When you go to the polls, remember this face, I repeat, remember this face, when you vote for John McCain.”

Editor’s Note: I have posted a video from NBC with the SNL Skit described above. The video is embedded on my other site as they won’t embed properly on WordPress. [Linked]

Going back to the Dick Cheney endorsement, the Obama campaign was quick to utilize this golden opportunity to point out what this endorsement really means. The following is a response by Joe Biden:

If you ever had any doubt that John McCain would continue George Bush’s policies — you can put those to rest. Just today, Vice President Cheney came out and endorsed John McCain. Do we need any more proof? I’m not surprised. Dick Cheney has been wrong on everything else the last eight years. He’s on a roll.

Many are seeing this as the nail in the coffin for John McCain. For a man who has voted 90% of the time with Cheney and Bush, this endorsement reiterates “more of the same” for a country that is clearly tired of the same policies and actions of the Bush administration. Senator Barack Obama responds:

I’d like to congratulate Senator McCain on this endorsement because he really earned it. That endorsement didn’t come easy. Senator McCain had to vote 90 percent of the time with George Bush and Dick Cheney to get it. He served as Washington’s biggest cheerleader for going to war in Iraq, and supports economic policies that are no different from the last eight years. So Senator McCain worked hard to get Dick Cheney’s support.

And below, the endorsement video clip. Dick Cheney’s endorsement of John McCain appears to have the same effect as the satiric endorsement of George W. Bush on Saturday Night LIve – turning undecided and even McCain voters towards Barack Obama. You watch, you decide.

Photo Credit: PennLive.com

Senator John McCain has been losing ground and stumbling. The demise of his campaign likely leads back to his selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential pick. But in a rally this morning in the key battleground state of Ohio, McCain faltered. During his speech, McCain relayed to his audience that they were joined by the now infamous Joe the Plumber. And he took a moment to seek Joe out in the crowd – only to find Joe was not in attendance. The McCain aids were unable to get word to McCain in time that Joe would not be attending, and as a result, McCain suffered an embarrassing slip up.

Perhaps McCain’s only “celebrity” act, Joe the Plumber represents an opposition to Barack Obama’s tax policies, and has given media attention to Senator John McCain. And he didn’t even show, what’s that tell you? Embarrassing, especially after all the time McCain has spent building up Joe the Plumber as a symbol of his appeal with middle class voters. You decide, but it seems like McCain’s hopes to be the President of the United States of America will be dashed once again.

The Anchorage Daily News just came out to endorse Senator Barack Obama, despite their own Governor’s run for Vice President. Their reasoning is simple -

“Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain… Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting [Palin] one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.”

So who is left to support Senator John McCain? Several established and well respected war generals have publicly offered their support for McCain, but the buck stops there. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Chicago Tribune, a news conglomerate that has not backed a liberal or Democrat in over a hundred years, have all backed Senator Obama. General Colin Powell, a well respected Republican icon, could not muster support for his party’s candidate for reasons similar to the Anchorage Daily News. The light is fading for John McCain, and the finish line is near for Barack Obama, a finish line that will only be the beginning of things to come for this nation, for this world, and for the next President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Below is a featured video entry on the social networking website Digg. The top news article at the time of publishing, the video below is a excellent summary of the Obama plan for the next four years, and beyond…

Photo credit: Editors Weblog

The subsequent conversation between the two turned out to carry more weight than just potential tax reformations and restructuring. For several minutes, Senator Obama eloquently and professionally countered Wurzelbacher’s concerns. A businessman who is looking ahead and is seeing his company grow, Joe was concerned that under Obama’s new tax plan, which offers tax relief to workers and their families making under a quarter of a million dollars (thats $250,000) annually, and raises taxes for businesses making more than that amount annually by a few percentage points (from 36% to 39%), he would be taxed more, and wanted the Senators opinion on the matter.

Without hesitation, Obama thanked Wurzelbacher for his concern, but reiterated the larger idea. In a struggling economy, the work force consists in large part of middle class citizens, working nine to five jobs, retail, etc. Under current tax regulations, it is these citizens that are taxed more, these businesses that are taxed higher. Large corporations who have been fortunate enough to see success have seen drastic tax cuts under the conservative Bush administration. But, as Obama explained, 95% of small businesses are categorized under this $250,000 annual cap. And it’s these businesses being hurt the most in a troubling economy. So why not offer up tax cuts to these businesses, which in turn will pump more money into those in need. This 95% will be better off financially because of it, as will our economy, when the money enters into play again.

So, who is this average Joe, and why has he generated such publicity? The American media flocked to his story and bloggers and reporters alike checked him out. Concerned about his plumbing business, Joe is not even a licensed plumber in the state of Ohio where he works and resides. Furthermore, he actually owes back taxes. All of this is besides the fact, however. The real issue resides not with one unlicensed plumber who now has reporters outside his home at all hours, day and night, but with people like him. The average Joe, the average middle class American citizen and small business stand to gain the most from Senator Obama and lose the most from Senator McCain.

Senator Obama’s response to Wurzelbacher’s concerns below:

Photo credit: Boston.com

A maverick is an unbranded range animal, especially a motherless calf; it can also mean a person who thinks independently; a lone dissenter; a non-conformist or rebel1.

So often referred to as a maverick by his political campaign team, including Governor Sarah Palin, is John McCain a maverick?

Does he think independently? Is he a non-conformist? Can he lead our country in a direction of recovery, out of the numerous disasters we are facing, economically, politically, etc. With gas prices on the rise, job availability on the decline, rising fears of worldwide tensions, and no exit strategies in the current war we are in (which has cost hundreds of trillions of dollars so far), is McCain a maverick that can get us out of this mess? I think not, but YOU decide. We will find out the beginning of the future, November 4.

Uncle Sam image courtesy of: Academy of Discovery

The problem is, you’re not that guy…

Photo credit: Killer Buffalo – The Independent’s Voice