Every year on my flight from New York City back to Las Vegas, there is a good five minutes worth of mild turbulence that always sends me into a small anxiety attack. In my head, as the plane beings to rattle and shake, I can picture the main pilot look dejectedly at his co-pilot before pressing the button that lights the please-fasten-your-seat-belt sign on the overhead compartment. At that moment, I'm sure that the pilot and the co-pilot know of our pending doom but loses the resolve to inform the unknowing passengers on board.
It is strange and disturbing to know that this anecdote also applies metaphorically to the current situation of the Republican Party. Here I am, riding in the economy class as the supposed leaders of our party look despairingly at one another before strapping themselves in for the inevitable crash.
As I write this article, the Republican Party is literally dying. For years the Republican Party has conceded ground to the Democratic Party without even putting up a fight. We gave away New England, we let them have the entire west coast, we allowed them to pander to the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Asians, the Youth, the Catholics, and the Jews. We continually talk as if a degree from Harvard, Yale, or MIT is a bad thing, and make fools of ourselves as we dismiss social media and new technology as an unreliable gizmo.
If the party continues to progress, or rather, digress like it has done for the past few years and if the Republican Party doesn't understand that it's brand and it's image needs a fresh new start, then the Grand Ole Party is set to splinter and fizzle permanently.
I was recently grabbing cocktails with a group of friends at Veloce Cibo inside the Las Vegas M Resort when I sprung this particular dilemma of our party on the three politically apathetic friends of mine who'd been enjoying conversing about the FIFA World Cup. Suddenly the conversation had changed from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to Sarah Palin and John McCain.
Considerably less... contemporary?
My friend Christopher who's finishing up on his Business Administration Marketing Masters explained his perception on the plight of why the Republican Party is having problems selling it's brand.
The party, especially to those who don't follow politics, seems old and stale. Boring with zero sex appeal. The Republican Party is viewed by the general populace as a party of old white folks who are grumpy that the world seems to be leaving them behind. Also it doesn't help the GOP at all when the Democrats do such a great job painting Republicans as anti-intellectuals, as bigots, as racists, and as chauvinistic macho men who hate woman.
In essence the perception is that the Grand Ole Party has lost the Grand and has become just the Ole Party.
And of course there's the new Tea Party factor. If the Republicans and conservatives weren't having enough trouble revamping the image of the party, we now have the Tea Party representing us. The conservative movement now has wall to wall coverage of old people with missing teeth holding smudged home made posters made out of cardboard boxes with either cowboy hats or leather biker chaps with metal studs.
Compare that to Matt Damon laying the smack down on Sarah Palin's "folksy-ness" on CBS News.
Starting to see the picture?
So I asked Chris, Zack, and Maria what could be done to start remaking the party. The three of them came up with a few sensible approaches to rebuilding the GOP brand:
One of the most important things is developing a concise and non policy orientated message about the future direction of the party (IE: Yes we can/Change you can believe in). Something the Republicans can take up as a battle call that says we're brimming with solutions and we want you to be a part of it.
Equally important is finding a leader with the right credentials that's also easy on the eye, sprinkles sentences with words only found on the SATs, and preferably doesn't have an ounce of the Southern drawl. Think Ronald Reagan, David Cameron, or Nicholas Sarkozy.
On the second tier of things that the GOP needs is a "sexy issue" where the GOP stance on the issue is perceived as a positive message. Democrats want the American voters to hug trees and plant grass (cap and tax) because they want to save the world from Armageddon. Democrats want to help the (illegal) impoverished and freedom seeking "undocumented" workers find a place amongst our rich and job filled communities. Democrats want to (pay exuberant amounts of taxes) fix the broken healthcare system so children don't die of cavities.
If you take out the truth given inside the parenthesis, then the average politically apathetic minds will listen to the Democratic message and think: wow, what a positive do-good party. The Republicans have been a little bit too proud for being known as the party of no, or as Sarah Palin puts it, "hell no."
The Republicans need to market the fact that we have golden stars too. How many members of the American public realizes that President George W. Bush was one of the most popular Presidents in Africa for his compassionate foreign policy which tripled and then doubled American aid to Africa putting it roughly near 9 billion dollars?
Probably no one.
And while Democrats raged about President Bush's supposed inaction in ending genocide in Darfur, no Republican stood up and pointed to President Bush's strong record of helping curtail civil war and genocide in the Congo and Liberia.
And of course no Democrat has ever heard of President George W. Bush declaring the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (84 million acres) as a national monument, creating the largest marine reserve to this day.
The GOP has a clear track record of undisputable "positive" policies, yet we don't ever market these events properly because we're so worried about saying "less taxes and stronger national defense," like we have for the last 7 decades.
Last but not least, the Republicans can't concede any more ground to the Democrats. This "how to talk to a liberal, if you must," mentality by Ann Coulter is ridiculous. Not only is it ridiculous but it's anti-American. It's anti-democratic. All those people and groups the GOP have written off because they don't vote or because they don't vote Republican must be sincerely re-engaged and re-introduced into the Republican Party.
That means we have to get people onto colleges and universities, that means we have to get the Republican message into black churches and catholic parishes in Latino communities. That means we have to flier China Town and buy ad space on Youtube, Facebook, and Google.
If the Republicans can revitalize some youth and positive energy into the party and stop talking about taking the country back to the 1700's when the constitution was adopted, then the Grand GOP might get it's groove back.
"Maybe even sex appeal too," Maria adds. "Like that Cristiano Ronaldo."
I laugh as Zack snorts.
"He's wouldn't be a Republican," Zack replies.
"Why not," I ask him,
"Because he's not white and decaying." Zack retorts.
Ouch.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Nevada's GOP Governor Race: Principle or Viability?
Everywhere across the country, incumbent politicians from both parties seem to be dropping like hundred dollars bills from a Goldman Sachs executive's pocket.
Just yesterday, the Associated Press reported that Representative Alan Mollohan, a 14-term incumbent Democrat, was ousted by state Senator Mike Oliverio in West Virginia’s Democratic primary by double digits. And of course who can forget Republican Senator Robert Bennett of Utah who got unceremoniously dumped for being apart of the establishment in Washington a few weeks prior.
With the Tea Party movement sweeping across our nation and Sarah Palin drawing large applause at the 2008 GOP convention for her attack on the good ole boy network, America is seeing the same red the French saw during it's revolution where aristocratic heads rolled off guillotine blades faster than PETA could throw red paint on lavish fur.
This toxic political climate for established Washingtonians have created the perfect brew for those opportunity seekers who've long been sitting on the floor, filtering off the scraps, dreaming of the day where they can sit with the big league at the dinner table and properly eat their slice of cake too.
All across the nation, those seeking political office are lining the ballot of every position possible, seeking a way into government by any means necessary. This leaves primary voters, especially Republicans who occupy the minority, a very serious question.
Is it more about viability or is it solely about principle?
We don't have to look far before we encounter this dilemma. Just analyzing the Republican primary in Nevada alone, there are a slew of candidates who are riding on the coat tail of the political atmosphere trying to make enough of an impression to irk out a primary win.
Just take a look at the Governor's race in Nevada. Even with rising polling numbers, Governor Jim Gibbons is still trying to fill a significant gap with ex-federal judge Brian Sandoval who's campaign calls him "the reason to believe again."
In this race alone, Republicans in Nevada have a dichotomy. Do you go with the incumbent Governor who has the conservative street credit but who is saddled with scandal and a high un-likeability rating with general voters? Or, do you go with the charismatic upstart who's conservative record is all but laughable but polls a bit higher than the incumbent in the general election?
And of course most races have that distant guy in third, in this case Mike Montandon, who brands himself smartly as "the only electable conservative candidate," but has such low polling figures that people question whether voting for him would be a waste of ballot paper.
So where do you go?
If the entire purpose of this current political climate was to keep politicians accountable and honest, then the answer has to be and only can be: principle first, viability second.
When people continue the routine of, "oh I like this guy, but we're going to have to go with him" mentality, then this entire process becomes a giant circle of constant dissatisfaction due to mediocre results by viable yet mediocre candidates.
If we continue down this path, we will forever be burdened with trying to figure out, which of the two is the lesser evil.
Even after all this head chopping, the people, if focusing on viability alone, will end up exactly where they started in the first place.
So if enough people started voting on principle without trying to factor in every ratio and percentage thrown out there, maybe it won't matter whether your the upstart, incumbent, or that guy in distant third.
Maybe, just maybe, for once in our lives we'll vote in a guy who'll do a decent enough of a job.
Just yesterday, the Associated Press reported that Representative Alan Mollohan, a 14-term incumbent Democrat, was ousted by state Senator Mike Oliverio in West Virginia’s Democratic primary by double digits. And of course who can forget Republican Senator Robert Bennett of Utah who got unceremoniously dumped for being apart of the establishment in Washington a few weeks prior.
With the Tea Party movement sweeping across our nation and Sarah Palin drawing large applause at the 2008 GOP convention for her attack on the good ole boy network, America is seeing the same red the French saw during it's revolution where aristocratic heads rolled off guillotine blades faster than PETA could throw red paint on lavish fur.
This toxic political climate for established Washingtonians have created the perfect brew for those opportunity seekers who've long been sitting on the floor, filtering off the scraps, dreaming of the day where they can sit with the big league at the dinner table and properly eat their slice of cake too.
All across the nation, those seeking political office are lining the ballot of every position possible, seeking a way into government by any means necessary. This leaves primary voters, especially Republicans who occupy the minority, a very serious question.
Is it more about viability or is it solely about principle?
We don't have to look far before we encounter this dilemma. Just analyzing the Republican primary in Nevada alone, there are a slew of candidates who are riding on the coat tail of the political atmosphere trying to make enough of an impression to irk out a primary win.
Just take a look at the Governor's race in Nevada. Even with rising polling numbers, Governor Jim Gibbons is still trying to fill a significant gap with ex-federal judge Brian Sandoval who's campaign calls him "the reason to believe again."
In this race alone, Republicans in Nevada have a dichotomy. Do you go with the incumbent Governor who has the conservative street credit but who is saddled with scandal and a high un-likeability rating with general voters? Or, do you go with the charismatic upstart who's conservative record is all but laughable but polls a bit higher than the incumbent in the general election?
And of course most races have that distant guy in third, in this case Mike Montandon, who brands himself smartly as "the only electable conservative candidate," but has such low polling figures that people question whether voting for him would be a waste of ballot paper.
So where do you go?
If the entire purpose of this current political climate was to keep politicians accountable and honest, then the answer has to be and only can be: principle first, viability second.
When people continue the routine of, "oh I like this guy, but we're going to have to go with him" mentality, then this entire process becomes a giant circle of constant dissatisfaction due to mediocre results by viable yet mediocre candidates.
If we continue down this path, we will forever be burdened with trying to figure out, which of the two is the lesser evil.
Even after all this head chopping, the people, if focusing on viability alone, will end up exactly where they started in the first place.
So if enough people started voting on principle without trying to factor in every ratio and percentage thrown out there, maybe it won't matter whether your the upstart, incumbent, or that guy in distant third.
Maybe, just maybe, for once in our lives we'll vote in a guy who'll do a decent enough of a job.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Men's Jewelry and Accessories
Just to do a quick post regarding men's jewelry and accessories.
I fell in love with the brand after seeing my very first King Baby piece glisten against the light inside a Neiman Marcus jewelry display case. Needless to say, I handed the sales associate my charge card and 5 years later, I can honestly say that I've worn my lion signet ring almost every day.
* Sterling silver lion's head ring by King Baby
My closest friends even nicknamed the sound my ring makes as I gesture, the "Jay jingle." And if there was ever a conversation starter, this ring would certainly be it. I have received more compliments and praise about this ring than any other single article of clothing or jewelry that I own.
This ring is quite dear to me and has become my signature piece. And as years have passed, I've added a few other pieces to my King Baby collection as well as other accessories from various other lines.
* Sterling silver cuff bracelet by King Baby
* Sterling silver oval link bracelet by King Baby
* Sterling silver rose ring by King Baby
* Black logo charmed bracelet by Dolce & Gabbana
In the end, when selecting a piece of jewelry, it's important that you pick something that you're not going to get sick of and that the piece that you end up buying is something you'll wear for the long run. Individuality and character is what makes men's jewelry so unique and exciting.
And of course for those willing to splurge, there are exceptional artisans out there that are willing to design custom pieces that are a one of a kind.
I fell in love with the brand after seeing my very first King Baby piece glisten against the light inside a Neiman Marcus jewelry display case. Needless to say, I handed the sales associate my charge card and 5 years later, I can honestly say that I've worn my lion signet ring almost every day.
* Sterling silver lion's head ring by King Baby
My closest friends even nicknamed the sound my ring makes as I gesture, the "Jay jingle." And if there was ever a conversation starter, this ring would certainly be it. I have received more compliments and praise about this ring than any other single article of clothing or jewelry that I own.
This ring is quite dear to me and has become my signature piece. And as years have passed, I've added a few other pieces to my King Baby collection as well as other accessories from various other lines.
* Sterling silver cuff bracelet by King Baby
* Sterling silver oval link bracelet by King Baby
* Sterling silver rose ring by King Baby
* Black logo charmed bracelet by Dolce & Gabbana
In the end, when selecting a piece of jewelry, it's important that you pick something that you're not going to get sick of and that the piece that you end up buying is something you'll wear for the long run. Individuality and character is what makes men's jewelry so unique and exciting.
And of course for those willing to splurge, there are exceptional artisans out there that are willing to design custom pieces that are a one of a kind.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
New York City Trip: Restaurants (Part I)
Finally I've allocated some time to post about the trip to New York City that I took back towards the end of January. Regardless to say, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life ever.
Every time I go to New York City, I book myself a wonderful little room at the Grand Hyatt on 42nd and Lexington. It's located directly next to the Grand Central Station and is about two blocks away from the wonderful shopping that 5th avenue has to offer. Saint Patrick Cathedral is a short walk away and even Times Square is accessible by foot. Most importantly, you can get from Saks Fifth to your hotel room by walking in probably 12-15 minutes.
The greatest part about this trip was the fact that I went during Restaurant Week which was going on in New York and ended up getting some great deals at some of the most exclusive restaurants that New York has to offer.
So for this post, lets start with an overview of some of the restaurants.
Dining at the Ssam Bar had been one of my most anticipated events of this New York trip. This restaurant nestled on the corner of 13th and 2nd was perhaps one of the most talked about restaurants led by one of America's hottest chefs of 2009.
Unfortunately the restaurant was actually a huge let down in my eyes. My friends Andrew Kwon and Louise Zhao who accompanied me for this late lunch/early dinner ultimately agreed with my assessment.
Overall, the food was lackluster and it's only saving grace was the fact that the pork buns which we ordered as an appetizer was absolutely delicious and well thought out. The seasonal fried brussel sprouts which we ordered as a side to our appetizer were also good as well but tended to be overwhelmingly oily.
The Bev Eggleston's pork shoulder steak was boring and poorly seasoned, the angus hanger steak with cauliflower and almonds was nothing new or innovative, and the spicy rice cakes with pork sausage and Chinese broccoli should have shamed David Chang's Korean mother. This is your take on Korea's dokboki? Come on David.
After having a completely lackluster experience at the Ssam Bar, I decided that David Chang should be given at least one more chance to redeem himself. So off we went to the Momofuku Milk Bar for dessert, which was thankfully attached directly to the Ssam Bar and easily accessible. Andrew, Louise, and I ended up sharing a slice of the massive chocolate chip cake with passion fruit curd, chocolate crumbs, and coffee butter cream. Again, while the cake was pleasant, it wasn't mind blowing good. The cake seemed a bit dry and ended up becoming sickeningly sweet after the fourth bite. I took the slice back with me to the hotel room and consumed it later with bitter black coffee and Marlborough cigarettes.
Linda Baek, my sister from another mother, surprised me with reservations to Jean-Georges wonderful restaurant in SoHo called Mercer Kitchen. This Neo-American restaurant with heavy Asian/Mediterranean fusion inspired dishes was the surprise hit of my New York Trip.
Linda ended up picking off the Restaurant Week menu and I picked items off the regular menu and pretty much shared everything together. Linda's spicy tuna pizza appetizer was unique but it could have used a bit more flare. My yellowtail sashimi appetizer with baby cress and cilantro was a well balanced dish that adhered to simplistic but wonderful flavors.
The Niman Ranch pork chop entree I had came with surpisingly amazing parmesan grits and ended up being one of the best pork chops I'd ever had. The pork chop was cooked to tender perfection and was glazed with a subtle hint of spice that came from the chili.
The warm Valrhona chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream was a rich and decadent way to end the superb meal, washed down by many Ketel One and Tonics.
A whole group of us went to Charlie Palmer's Metrazur to have dinner and found the restaurant located inside the historic Grand Central Station to be a mix of good and bad. The service that the staff offered were completely incompetent. The server that started off the dining experience did not understand proper wine service. They served the wine that was supposed to be served with the appetizer after everyone was finished eating and poured the wine that was supposed to be served with the entree in wine glasses still wet and not properly polished.
The server that started off the dinner service left for break or home in the middle of our dinner without introducing us to her replacement or telling us she was leaving and the new server who took over our table service seldom checked on us and took forever to process our check. I ended up handing our payment to the manager directly and even he was rude and unapologetic.
But beside the lack of service, the food was Metrazur's saving grace. Our entire dinner group all had the restaurant week menu which offered three different choices per course. For the appetizer I had a roast butternut squash soup that had a nice spice to it from the added pumpkin seeds and smoked bacon while I ended up selecting the Sichuan spiced pork tenderloin for the entree.
For the dessert I ended up having the bittersweet chocolate torte with candied oranges.
My good friend Yaelim Noh and I ended up having a wonderful dinner at Pera which seemed the most heavily inspired by Turkish and Greek cuisine. The restaurant in Mid-town was filled with warm colors, courteous staff, and food that was sophisticated.
For an appetizer, we shared a plate of hummus with baked lavash chips along with soujouk, beef, lollipops. For the entree I ended up having the mushroom pappardelle while Yaelim had Pera Steak with Greek style frites.
We finished the meal by sharing Baklava and Rice Pudding. The Rice Pudding was quite astonishing and was wonderfully rich and coated your tongue with thick sweetness that couldn't be washed away easily.
Every time I go to New York City, I book myself a wonderful little room at the Grand Hyatt on 42nd and Lexington. It's located directly next to the Grand Central Station and is about two blocks away from the wonderful shopping that 5th avenue has to offer. Saint Patrick Cathedral is a short walk away and even Times Square is accessible by foot. Most importantly, you can get from Saks Fifth to your hotel room by walking in probably 12-15 minutes.
The greatest part about this trip was the fact that I went during Restaurant Week which was going on in New York and ended up getting some great deals at some of the most exclusive restaurants that New York has to offer.
So for this post, lets start with an overview of some of the restaurants.
David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar:
Dining at the Ssam Bar had been one of my most anticipated events of this New York trip. This restaurant nestled on the corner of 13th and 2nd was perhaps one of the most talked about restaurants led by one of America's hottest chefs of 2009.
Unfortunately the restaurant was actually a huge let down in my eyes. My friends Andrew Kwon and Louise Zhao who accompanied me for this late lunch/early dinner ultimately agreed with my assessment.
Overall, the food was lackluster and it's only saving grace was the fact that the pork buns which we ordered as an appetizer was absolutely delicious and well thought out. The seasonal fried brussel sprouts which we ordered as a side to our appetizer were also good as well but tended to be overwhelmingly oily.
The Bev Eggleston's pork shoulder steak was boring and poorly seasoned, the angus hanger steak with cauliflower and almonds was nothing new or innovative, and the spicy rice cakes with pork sausage and Chinese broccoli should have shamed David Chang's Korean mother. This is your take on Korea's dokboki? Come on David.
David Chang's Momofuku Milk Bar:
After having a completely lackluster experience at the Ssam Bar, I decided that David Chang should be given at least one more chance to redeem himself. So off we went to the Momofuku Milk Bar for dessert, which was thankfully attached directly to the Ssam Bar and easily accessible. Andrew, Louise, and I ended up sharing a slice of the massive chocolate chip cake with passion fruit curd, chocolate crumbs, and coffee butter cream. Again, while the cake was pleasant, it wasn't mind blowing good. The cake seemed a bit dry and ended up becoming sickeningly sweet after the fourth bite. I took the slice back with me to the hotel room and consumed it later with bitter black coffee and Marlborough cigarettes.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Mercer Kitchen:
Linda Baek, my sister from another mother, surprised me with reservations to Jean-Georges wonderful restaurant in SoHo called Mercer Kitchen. This Neo-American restaurant with heavy Asian/Mediterranean fusion inspired dishes was the surprise hit of my New York Trip.
Linda ended up picking off the Restaurant Week menu and I picked items off the regular menu and pretty much shared everything together. Linda's spicy tuna pizza appetizer was unique but it could have used a bit more flare. My yellowtail sashimi appetizer with baby cress and cilantro was a well balanced dish that adhered to simplistic but wonderful flavors.
The Niman Ranch pork chop entree I had came with surpisingly amazing parmesan grits and ended up being one of the best pork chops I'd ever had. The pork chop was cooked to tender perfection and was glazed with a subtle hint of spice that came from the chili.
The warm Valrhona chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream was a rich and decadent way to end the superb meal, washed down by many Ketel One and Tonics.
Charlie Palmer's Metrazur:
A whole group of us went to Charlie Palmer's Metrazur to have dinner and found the restaurant located inside the historic Grand Central Station to be a mix of good and bad. The service that the staff offered were completely incompetent. The server that started off the dining experience did not understand proper wine service. They served the wine that was supposed to be served with the appetizer after everyone was finished eating and poured the wine that was supposed to be served with the entree in wine glasses still wet and not properly polished.
The server that started off the dinner service left for break or home in the middle of our dinner without introducing us to her replacement or telling us she was leaving and the new server who took over our table service seldom checked on us and took forever to process our check. I ended up handing our payment to the manager directly and even he was rude and unapologetic.
But beside the lack of service, the food was Metrazur's saving grace. Our entire dinner group all had the restaurant week menu which offered three different choices per course. For the appetizer I had a roast butternut squash soup that had a nice spice to it from the added pumpkin seeds and smoked bacon while I ended up selecting the Sichuan spiced pork tenderloin for the entree.
For the dessert I ended up having the bittersweet chocolate torte with candied oranges.
Jason Avery and Sezai Celikbas's Pera Mediterranean Brasserie:
My good friend Yaelim Noh and I ended up having a wonderful dinner at Pera which seemed the most heavily inspired by Turkish and Greek cuisine. The restaurant in Mid-town was filled with warm colors, courteous staff, and food that was sophisticated.
For an appetizer, we shared a plate of hummus with baked lavash chips along with soujouk, beef, lollipops. For the entree I ended up having the mushroom pappardelle while Yaelim had Pera Steak with Greek style frites.
We finished the meal by sharing Baklava and Rice Pudding. The Rice Pudding was quite astonishing and was wonderfully rich and coated your tongue with thick sweetness that couldn't be washed away easily.
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Given Excuse
Okay,
So everyone at this point has to realize that I completely fail at being consistent with my blog. In my righteous defense, I will list a series of very lame excuses.
After having caught the flu that didn't seem to go away, I was caught up with my New York City trip and then stumbled onto my birthday week which was very promptly followed by the birthday week of a few other friends that led to constant nights out and other miscellaneous mischief.
After life returned to some figment of normalcy, I stumbled head first into school work that had been successfully ignored for roughly a months span of time. Of course this resulted in a long two weeks of catch up that sapped the very essence of my blackened soul.
But fear not, I have many pictures from things I bought in New York City and things I bought in preparation to go to New York City that will soon be posted.
Also I'm going to be doing a fragrance blog and an accessories blog which will be followed by a cosmetics blog for men.
Wheew.
And eventually, I'll get vlogs running.
I think?
So everyone at this point has to realize that I completely fail at being consistent with my blog. In my righteous defense, I will list a series of very lame excuses.
After having caught the flu that didn't seem to go away, I was caught up with my New York City trip and then stumbled onto my birthday week which was very promptly followed by the birthday week of a few other friends that led to constant nights out and other miscellaneous mischief.
After life returned to some figment of normalcy, I stumbled head first into school work that had been successfully ignored for roughly a months span of time. Of course this resulted in a long two weeks of catch up that sapped the very essence of my blackened soul.
But fear not, I have many pictures from things I bought in New York City and things I bought in preparation to go to New York City that will soon be posted.
Also I'm going to be doing a fragrance blog and an accessories blog which will be followed by a cosmetics blog for men.
Wheew.
And eventually, I'll get vlogs running.
I think?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Obama: One Year Later
My opening speech at the UNLV College Republicans VS Young Democrats Debate titled, "Obama: One Year Later."
In 2009, Americans all across the country embraced for a new era of leadership to sweep across our nation. President Barack Obama rode in on a wave of popular support promising us change that we can believe in. What we got instead was change we didn't expect and change we didn't want.
During his campaign for the Presidency, Barack Obama promised us a translucent government where closed doors would be open, the people would be informed, and the interest of the people would be placed above the corporate lobbyists.
What we got instead was the exact opposite.
From Washington, we've already seen historic amounts of national spending, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and an engorgement of the public sector at the expensive of the private. And this is just after the first year.
We've seen the weakening of our national defense, a blatantly wrong response to matters of national security, and a corruption of relations that have been maintained since the foundation of our grand republic.
When the dust settled in November 2009, the political commentators all promised us a historic presidency that would break the norm in Washington. And they were unfortunately right.
We now have a historic presidency for all the wrong reasons and Americans are already responding to the President's agenda with a resounding no.
Whether it's the gubernatorial mansions in Virginia and New Jersey, or the Kennedy Senate seat in Massachusetts, Americans have begun to mobilize against the socialist agenda of President Obama.
President Obama. Americans want you to stop putting us in debt. Americans want you to stop weakening our national security. Americans want you to stop trying to socialize healthcare, and Americans want you to stop this new era of anti-business policy in Washington.
To simply put it, President Obama, Americans want you to stop.
In 2009, Americans all across the country embraced for a new era of leadership to sweep across our nation. President Barack Obama rode in on a wave of popular support promising us change that we can believe in. What we got instead was change we didn't expect and change we didn't want.
During his campaign for the Presidency, Barack Obama promised us a translucent government where closed doors would be open, the people would be informed, and the interest of the people would be placed above the corporate lobbyists.
What we got instead was the exact opposite.
From Washington, we've already seen historic amounts of national spending, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and an engorgement of the public sector at the expensive of the private. And this is just after the first year.
We've seen the weakening of our national defense, a blatantly wrong response to matters of national security, and a corruption of relations that have been maintained since the foundation of our grand republic.
When the dust settled in November 2009, the political commentators all promised us a historic presidency that would break the norm in Washington. And they were unfortunately right.
We now have a historic presidency for all the wrong reasons and Americans are already responding to the President's agenda with a resounding no.
Whether it's the gubernatorial mansions in Virginia and New Jersey, or the Kennedy Senate seat in Massachusetts, Americans have begun to mobilize against the socialist agenda of President Obama.
President Obama. Americans want you to stop putting us in debt. Americans want you to stop weakening our national security. Americans want you to stop trying to socialize healthcare, and Americans want you to stop this new era of anti-business policy in Washington.
To simply put it, President Obama, Americans want you to stop.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Daily Outfits 108
Okay, so I’ve been getting less blogging done because I was out of commission for about half a week due to some horrendous cold. But I did get to go out an catch the opening night of Aria Hotel and Casino inside the new City Center. It was absolutely beautiful and so crowded! I couldn’t find a slot machine to save my life.
* Dress shirt by Theory, boot cut denim jeans by Diesel, charcoal vest by Kenneth Cole, thick wool pea coat by H&M, grey logo embellished scarf by Versace
So this outfit is all about layering and the best way for men to layer is to start with a vest that has a buckle you can tighten or loosen in the back. This buckle should never be left undone and should always be tightened to keep the silhouette as trim and fitted in the midsection as possible. A lot of guys suffer from dress shirts that are super baggy and become un-tucked with frequent sitting and standing. The best cure for this problem would be to find yourself a good tailor, but the second solution would be to find a good vest.
The peat coat is a personal favorite of mine because of the high collar. I think the high collar coats and sweaters are just my current look of the moment, and I think this look really goes superb for this winter.
The entire look is finished with a focal feature which is the scarf. The bold Versace scarf really makes an impression no matter where you go.
* Dress shirt by Theory, boot cut denim jeans by Diesel, charcoal vest by Kenneth Cole, thick wool pea coat by H&M, grey logo embellished scarf by Versace
So this outfit is all about layering and the best way for men to layer is to start with a vest that has a buckle you can tighten or loosen in the back. This buckle should never be left undone and should always be tightened to keep the silhouette as trim and fitted in the midsection as possible. A lot of guys suffer from dress shirts that are super baggy and become un-tucked with frequent sitting and standing. The best cure for this problem would be to find yourself a good tailor, but the second solution would be to find a good vest.
The peat coat is a personal favorite of mine because of the high collar. I think the high collar coats and sweaters are just my current look of the moment, and I think this look really goes superb for this winter.
The entire look is finished with a focal feature which is the scarf. The bold Versace scarf really makes an impression no matter where you go.
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