lanny's Blog

 The  fine folks  at  Katz's   generously  opened their doors to us  this  morning  so we could  plunck down and host a live web chat.  As it turns out  as many  live chatters wanted to know what was on the  menu as they wanted to    grouse  over the elections. 

   Join us  at   www.myfoxhoustonlive.com 

     I  was stationed outside a bed and breakfast in Montrose  this  morning and it was  weird  how quiet and orderly  everything was.  Granted  these folks in Montrose are  sharply focused on the issues  and  are always  the savy  voters, but  it made me wonder where everyone  was.

     Folks  gathered as early as  5:30 this morning at my location.  In fact when the young couple walked up with lawn furniture at  5:30 AM  I was  startled  thinking  this was a sign of  huge crowds to come  but not so.    By  7 AM  there were more than  150   voters  lined up down the sidewalk.  But  by  8:30  all  those  folks had voted and were gone!!   Talk about  efficient  voting.   No one I  spoke with was the least bit  undecided, they were resolute in their  vote.

   And a word  about the  workers insides  these precincts.  BRAVO !   You really have to either love your job, or love the process to get there  around 5:30 AM  to set everything up,  take an oath of  honesty,  and then  work  the site  for  countless hours into the night.  The  folks where I was  had been working that site for  15 years,  they love the  Lovett Inn and they love  their  judge  Dennis  Fetters.  He gave us  a  blow by blow  account of what was going on inside  throughout the morning.  Very informed  man.

     I am home now  glued to the tube to see if there  is a last minute  surge of voters  tonight.   It looks as though the  early  voting is going to be the real story in this election. 

   Best of luck to whomever  wins  in all the races.  I know I certainly  wouldn't want to hold  a public  office.     No thanks!!   

ABC News/Washington  Post  poll  asks  if the election were held  today  who would  be the next  President. 

Obama  48%       McCain   42%

Those McCain numbers  are  stunning  considering  he  really  just now started  campainging, I think.  Obama has been going at it  for  more than a year  and essentially they are neck and neck.  Talk about  a  come  from  behind!!!

     Barack said it  over the weekend................according to his speech, half  of  all  African-American  children  grow up with no  father  present.    Any fool  can have a baby,  it  takes a man  to  raise a child and be  a father!

A friend  sent me this.  Til now I really didn't know anything about   Cindy Mc Cain. 

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal on Cindy McCain, John"s wife.  All I ever saw was this attractive woman standing beside John.  I was surprised how talented and involved with world problems she is.  This is a summary of the article.                She graduated from Southern Cal and was a special-needs teacher.

After her Dad died she became involved with his beer distributing firm and is now the chairwoman.  Sales have doubled since she has taken over from her father.

They have a marriage prenuptial agreement, her assets remain separate.

She is involved around the world clearing land mines - travels to these countries on a detonation team and service on their board.

They have a 19 year old serving in Iraq, another son in the Naval Academy, a daughter recently graduated from Columbia Univ., an adopted daughter in high school, and a son who is the finance guy at the beer firm.

Raised kids in Phoenix, Az rather than Washington DC.(better atmosphere)  He commuted.

In 1991, Mrs. McCain came across a girl in an orphanage in Bangladesh.  Mother Teresa implored Mrs. McCain to take the baby with severe cleft palate.  She did so without first telling her husband. The couple adopted the girl who has had a dozen operations to repair her cleft palate and other medical problems.

They have a Family Foundation for children's causes.

She's active with "Halo Trust" - to clear land mines, provide water and food in war ravaged and developing countries.

She will join an overseas mission of "Operation Smile", a charity for corrective surgery on children's faces.

She has had two back surgeries and became addicted to pain killers.  She talks openly about it which she says is part of the recovery process.

     I didn't watch the  debate last night.  I can't stand another debate between these two candidates.  Neither has had  anything new to say since the last debates  and  every network is planning debates all summer long.  Spare me! 

     All the sound bytes I heard  were  horrendous to have to  hear over and over and over.  The car radio played the same bytes as the  Fox News Channel as did every station around the country. 

     Hillary again and again  cleaning up her  sniper  fire  story and  Obama  cleaning up  Jeremiah Wright and  and  the  Bitter  Small Town Folks  clinging to guns and the bible.  Give me a break. 

   This last debate has set the tone for this summer leading up to the convention and I have to say  both look like  sorry  people  for their  desperate  attempts  to beat  each  other.  And didn't Hillary looked  completely  p---ed off when she had to admit  that  Obama was  electible?    

    I am not looking forward to summer.      

     I am getting conflicting reports of  how  Republicans are  early voting.  One person tells me that  Reps are going in and  voting  FOR  Clinton so they can kill of  Obama early.    Others  are saying it's the other way around, that  Reps are voting  FOR  Obama   because Hillary will be the easier kill in November.  Anyone know the answer to this?

      My question is  why don't Republicans just go in and vote for a Republican in the primaries.  I am told that  McCain has the nomination sewen up so Texas Reps  are  trying to kill off one of the two Dems in the primaries.  Que?

    This is where politics gets  crazy to this novice.  

     We are  going to broadcast our  show live Tuesday morning at the Breakfast Klub.  With Super Tuesday just hours away, I thought it would be fun to go set up  down on San Jacinto and Alabama Street and  get  the folks  there to  take our  Candidate Matchmaking  quiz.  We have been toutiing this feature which is on  this page, political page, because so many of us have been so suprised at  the answers  for our candidates. 

    I first took the quiz two weeks ago and came back with  these candidates.....Edwards,McCain, Giuliani.    With so many candidates having  dropped out I took the quiz again this morning  and was stunned.  It came back.....McCain, Clinton, and some guy named  Mike Gravel!!!!     McCain and then  CLINTON!!!!!!!!  WOAHHH 

     Join us either in person at the Breakfast Klub on San Jacinto and Alabama or join us on the web or tv tomorrow morning for some  political fun!! 

     Stop  hating  George W. Bush to me.  Don't tell me anymore  bad news stories on the President.  I get it, I hear you.  Hating Bush to me is a turn off.  I know more want to hear about  how you hate  Bush anymore than I want to hear about  Clinton being a liar  or Jimmy Carter  being  a baffoon  for the  gas lines  of the  70s.   I hear you loud and clear. 

     If anything  I have  added respect for these people.  Why anyone  would  run for office  is   beyond me, but the fact is, someone has to do it.    Each day those of us who work in this  live  realm of  tv /  radio  get up with  great  plans  to execute the best of what we have to offer  and sometimes we fall short and sometimes  there is  breaking news  that throws everyone for a loop.  Each President has  his share of  "  breaking news "  events  that  often alter  the course of history. 

    I don't think  Bush went to Washinton to start a war in the middle east.  As a Texan I have to believe that  his  plan was to make this a better world  for people everywhere.  Somewhere down the line  those  ideas  morfed  into  an effort  to  protect the country  from terrorism, which is a  way of making a better world. 

     The clock is ticking  and  I feel  for the person who is going to move into the Oval office  next.   I pity   the  poor soul who is going to try and lead  with such hosltilies  in the air.    Why don't we all step back and give  Bush a  break  for a day.  How bad would that be?