Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

Al Sharpton is likeable enough.  I discovered this when we appeared together on a television program and was taken aback by this polite, affable individual.   The man inside those expensive suits seemed strangely at odds with his public wrapper.

I chalked up his bombastic rhetoric and incendiary speeches to show business.  Nothing more.

Now his show is losing its appeal and he seems lost.   Sharpton has painted himself into a corner and nowhere was that more evident than during last weekend’s dueling rallies on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech. Read the rest of this entry »

We need a seal around every ballot or a warning on every voting machine.  It should be like the seal that comes around a medicine bottle or the warning label on an electrical appliance.  You must read it before you use.

A ballot is the most important tool a citizen has at his or her disposal, but when it is used incorrectly, the results can be disastrous.  There should be some education involved.  It is this lack of instruction that has left this country on the brink of economic collapse. Read the rest of this entry »

Christians are political slackers.  We have failed to defend the values upon which this country was founded.  We have failed to defend the Constitution and we have failed to defend our military men and women who have pledged to defend this country with their very lives if necessary.

As we approach the birthday of our nation, most get all teary-eyed when the flag is raised and the “Star-Spangled Banner” is played.  Unfortunately this yearly display is rarely followed by the actions necessary to keep this country “the land of the free” and “the home of the brave.”  Read the rest of this entry »

Primary elections are far more important than general elections, but most citizens don’t really wake up politically until a week before it’s time to go to the polls in November.  Then, they look at their choice and complain that there are no good candidates.  They choose between what they consider to be the lessor evil, or worse still, simply check the box beside  “incumbent,” whoever he or she is, and complain about how things never change.

This year, things are similar, but different: similar in that the primary turnout is low but the difference is in the intensity of those who are going to the polls.  That is a result of  the tea party movement, a group of independent-minded citizens who are determined to take back their government from career politicians, whom they consider have put this country on a path to economic collapse.  Read the rest of this entry »

He won the Republican nomination for President.  He hasn’t had a primary challenger for his Senate seat in two decades.  He’s 10 to 12 points ahead in most polls.  He’s a fat-cat senator sitting on a pile of dough (his own and that of those who benefit from his votes).   So, why is John McCain running scarred?

The defeats of five-term Senator Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, three-term Senator Robert Bennett in Utah, and fourteen-term Rep. Alan Mollohan in their party’s primaries.
Read the rest of this entry »