John McCain, who seems to have patterned his campaign talks after Mrs. Malaprop, a character in a 1775 play, "The Rivals," called Mrs. Malaprop. She misspoke in a very funny way, at least by 1775 standards. McCain isn't funny.
He likened Barack Obama to Britney Spears or Paris Hilton because the presumptive Democratic nominee for president has gotten more attention from the press and public than McCain has. Well, Mr. McCain, Calvin Coolidge didn't get much attention either, but then again, he seldom left his front porch.
McCain's people must be desperate. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee is repeating the tax and spend charges, his newly found backing for offshore oil drilling and the rest of the tired, old charges that lost for the GOP two years ago.
If he's going to charge Obama with being like a celebrity, then perhaps he should act more like one and go somewhere except for towns that host his boring town hall meetings.
Obama, on the other hand, loves to say he doesn't look like the presidents who are our nation's money, an obvious reference to the fact that he is black. McCain then charges Obama with playing the race card.
That's stupid. I think Obama's people are smart enough to know that he loses with that strategy. Although blacks will vote for him in overwhelming numbers (which they will do in any case), whites, especially poorer whites and those in Bible Belt areas, will vote against him in overwhelming numbers. There are more of the latter than the former.
McCain wants to engage Obama in town hall meeting-type debates, a forum in which McCain feel comfortable, while Obama wants to conduct rock-concert-type speeches, where he feels comfortable. So what.
I'm already sick of McCain, although he says he is a friend of Israel, and is dragging Connecticut's junior senator, Joseph I. Lieberman, along with him to make the point.
As the Democratic convention gets closer, I think Obama has to start a real campaign on the issues, where he has a clear lead over McCain, who says he'll make a better commander in chief. If we play our cards right, however, the military won't need a wartime commander, because we won't be in any wars.
Page 2
I live near Whalley Avenue in New Haven and drive it often. The state Department of Transportation wants to widen it from two lanes to four, saying that people drive as if there were four lanes already, although there are only two established lanes except at some traffic lights.
The bike riders say they want a bike lane. There may be room for that next to the sidewalk, where there is now grass.
One person who wrote in to the New Haven Independent said one solution is to increase bus service from the suburbs to downtown New Haven and get suburban people to take that service.
If, as I suspect, most of the commuters from Woodbridge, Bethany, West Haven and Orange do not need their cars once they reach downtown New Haven, then a solution may present itself.
Increase the bus service, including building or increasing the size of commuter lots, bring in express bus service with a dedicated bus lane on Route 1 and Whalley Avenue or whatever road the buses travel. Make the bus fare reasonable and hike the fees for all-day parkers in downtown New Haven. Make local bus service more palatable for New Haven residents.
It might work, if given a chance.
Page 3
It's the weekend and the weather on Sunday looks pretty good. Saturday morning looks pretty good, too, for those who walk to synagogue.
Have a great weekend, thanks for reading this week and, for those in the tribe, have a great Shabbos.
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