Japi's Blog

What was McCain thinking??

Seriously??? John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate??

What is going through his mind?  Or was this the recommendation of his vetting team?

Paul Begala described it in the following manner: "For a man who is 72 years old and has had four bouts with cancer to have chosen someone so completely unqualified to become president is shockingly irresponsible."  Begala's commentary article is titled: Is McCain out of his mind?... this made me chuckle because I had the same reaction when I saw the news.

It seems that McCain is trying to get the young vote, the female vote (especially Hillary supporters)... I think it missed the mark completely!  This could be a decision that will really hurt McCain's electability.

On MSNBC, they tore her up pretty badly: bringing up an ethics issue for which she is being investigated and her flip-flop on the "bridge to nowhere" - which she initially supported in 2006 and recently stated she was against it.

It's going to be extremely interesting how Fox News spins this one... and I am pretty certain that the poll numbers will start to show how bad of a decision this was.

Historic Night - Obama is the official nominee

Barack Obama officially became the Democratic Party's Presidential nominee last night.  On the 45th anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech - coincidence? I doubt it.

Rev. King's dream of equality is closer to a reality with Senator Obama's nomination... so it's absolutely fitting!

Barack Obama's acceptance speech last night was long and not one of his best if you measure it against some of his more powerful speeches (like the one he gave in March 208 titled "A More Perfect Union"or his 2004 convention powerful keynote).  However, it was Senator Obama's most complete speech detailing the plans he has for our country.

With the 2008 Democratic National Convention coming to a close last night, it's going to be very interesting to watch if there is a dramatic shift in the polls... it will be especially interesting to see what happens with Hillary supporters.

Bill Clinton Quiets The Media - Now THAT'S NEWS!

After Hillary Clinton's speech on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, all the major news shows started slicing up every word she said and ESPECIALLY what she didn't say.

Well, it looks like Bill Clinton was watching some of those shows.... he made it very clear that "Obama is ready to be President!"  These words were the main ones that the news media said were missing from Hillary's speech the night before.

President Clinton also mentioned how HE had little experience when he won the Presidency 16 years earlier.... in his words "And here's what I have to say about that. Everything I learned in my eight years as president, and in the work I have done since in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job."

Here's a video of his speech... I think the Clintons have set the table for an Obama victory in November!

Hillary Clinton was dead-on Tuesday night!

Hillary hit it out of the ballpark Tuesday... when she said...

"I want you to ask yourselves, were you in this campaign just for me, or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? (Cheers, applause.) Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that young boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?"

The message to her supporters was clear... vote for Barack Obama... voting for McCain would be a huge mistake.

"We need to elect Barack Obama because we need a president who understands that America can't compete in the global economy by padding the pockets of energy speculators while ignoring the workers whose jobs have been shipped overseas. We need a president who understands we can't solve the problems of global warming by giving windfall profits to the oil companies while ignoring the opportunities to invest in the new technologies that will build a green economy. We need a president who understands that the genius of America has always depended on the strength and vitality of the middle class."

Below you can wtch her speech... judge for yourselves: If any Clinton supporters still choose to vote for McCain after this speech, they were never a Clinton supporter in the first place. I can't imagine why anyone would want to put up with 4 (maybe 8) more years of Republican hell.

I don't know if Obama is the answer, but I DO know that McCain would be a huge mistake!  Let's get Obama elected and help bring those young men back home, let's take REAL steps to develop clean fuels - help our environment, let's get someone in the White House that is not connected to PAC's and special interests.

Other great speeches on Tuesday night included:

• Dennis Kucinich's emotional storm called "Wake Up America"
• Montana Gov. Schweitzer's humorous and powerful "Petro-Dictators"speech

Michelle Obama at the Convention

The first day of the Democratic National Convention had a little of everything...

• DNC Chairman Howard Dean opening the convention to a very small crowd (I guess attendees were still flying in)
• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaking
• Caroline Kennedy introducing her uncle, Ted Kennedy
• Ted Kennedy's inspirational speech
• a touching video voiced-over by Michelle Obama's Mother
• Michelle Obama introduced by her brother
• and a great speech by Michelle Obama

She was eloquent and had a real strong presence on the stage.  At the end of her speech, her daughters came out - then a beautiful exchange between them and Barack (via Satellite from Kanasa City).... just wonderful!

I can't wait to see the rest of the convention!

My New Job - Houston Market Manager at Group O Marketing Solutions

I've had several friends and family ask about my new job.... and a dear friend suggested I post it here so I don't have to keep repeating myself <grin>.

So I left Schipul after four amazing years of learning, growing and producing. I enjoyed the work more than any other job I've had - the people there are brilliant, the work is challenging and fun and I am certain their future is extremely bright!! I will bleed Schipul burnt orange or Tendenci maroon for many years.

It took me a few months to get the right offer from the right company - Group O Marketing Solutions.

Group O was founded in 1974 by Robert Ontiveros, originally named Bi-State Packaging which was started to sell packaging materials and equipment to manufacturers. The company has grown to over $350 million per year and was recognized this year as the 20th largest Hispanic-owned company in the U.S. by Hisoanic Business magazine.

Group O is based in Milan (pronounced mīˌlän), Illinois and has three divisions:

1. Marketing Solutions
2. Packaging Solutions and
3. Supply Chain Solutions

I was hired by Group O Marketing Solutions as a Market Manager for Houston. I have been tasked with putting together and managing a team of salespeople to market and sell a product for a major telecommunications company... one that has three letter in its name and two are repeated <grin>.  We can use its name when we talk, but not in print.

I have an amazing support team that is helping me put together the team... everyone I've met and worked with are very intelligent, hard-working and fun, so I feel great about this job!

Our goal is to build and grow the business in Houston and San Antonio the next 4 months so that we will be offered additional markets in Texas and eventually around the U.S.

I am extremely excited about the opportunity in front of me and the trust that Group O has placed in me. I will continue to inform of my progress as we meet and beat the numbers... the goal is to have a productive team of 50 here in Houston and 30 in San Antonio in the next few months.

Sorry if I can't say more than that, but if I gave away too much info, I'd have to take all of you out and I wouldn't want to lose my small fan-base <grin>.