Political Punch

She's not too bright. She
was asked in a recent tv
interview what are duties
of the Vice President.

She drew a blank.

You can google and find
out in a few minutes what
the Veep does.

Mr. Mediocrity McCain picks
Ms. Mediocrity from Alaska
who is not a woman of substance.

How naive are we going to be, just back up and look at these two pictures? This is the same man who sat on the floor of congress and denied the rights of a living breathing child, who survived an abortion. He voted NO, this living child should not receive medical care or be allowed to live. CHECK HIS VOTING RECORDS IT’S A FACT. This is the man who sat and listen to hatred and slander for years in a church then denied knowledge of the message. Then picture him writing this prayer and putting it in the wall. Sorry it just does not add up. Jesus who he says he serves was an expression of ultimate love, you be the judge does the above facts sound like love.

I knew the Obama Kotel note was a transparent PR-Stunt the minute I read it's content. This was a deliberate effort to counter the public image Obama has earned, of being elitest, snobbish, and high-browed. "...guard against pride and despair" ? Come on, can it be any more obvious ? "pride" ? He needs to be guarded from "pride", because everybody has seen how tremendous his ego is - and he knows it. Puhleeeaze !

If it is so intrusive and if a Rabbi tells you that the notes placed between the stones of the Western Wall are between a person and his maker. It is forbidden to read them or make any use of them, then why did YOU just publicize the contents of that note? You have no personal integrity.

PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HIM, SAYING HE IS AN UNGODLY MAN, WHEN HE DOES PRAY, YOU STILL SAY HE IS FAKE. LOOK THERE IS A SAYING IN THE CHURCH, THERE ARE SAINTS AND THERE ARE AINT'S.NO MATTER WHAT HE DOES, SOME PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEM TO TALK NEGATIVE ABOUT HIM. DAMM IF YOU DO DAMM IF YOU DON'T. GOD BLESS YOU BARACK AND HAVE HIS ANGLES TO PROTECT AND GUIDE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

To Anon...
So many confuse religion with doctrine a person may acknowledge his or her religion anywhere he or she chooses, it is the dictates of its doctrine which should impede on or deny the civil liberties of persons.

The politcal genius he is, it wouldn't surprised me if Obama orchestrated the entire thing, from the guy stealing the note from the Wall right down to the publication.

I've always thought in many ways the Bible was an allegory waiting to be revealed in the development of individual and collective experiences. The first most puzzling one was the tree of knowledge and why a God who had given free will, would in any way forbid the partaking of it, the second being the tower of Babel, now I think understand the inherit dangers of knowledge and language, my great fear is that the human race will forever be separated by both!!

What a prayer! does it remind anyone of King Solomon's prayer for wisdom in the Bible? I'm so deeply touched by this prayer. God bless Obama

They should take that student outside and whip him with a 1,000 lashes.

Obama (and I'm certain McCain as well) recognizes divine authority, as did the founders of our nation. Obama is absolutely correct to pray for divine protection for himself and his family, and it is encouraging, I think, that he prays to be an instrument of God's will.

Collectively and individually, Americans need to look to God, we have many problems to face as a nation, and we need God's help with them.

The place of religion in a
modern secular democracy is
the church, the home, the
seminary, the department of
religion at the university,
or institutes dedicated to
its study and research.

Religion has no place in
public schools, the courts,
the military, businesses and
corporations, and the halls
of government.

Perhaps YOU need to step up your research. Obama joined his wife's family church when he married her. In it. A very common practice.

McCain is a God fearing man and Obama is a God fearing man. Let's be careful with what judgement we make or say, because God is no respector of persons, just blessings. If you think just because a person has all of the highest protection he/she can receive from the SS in the US and they don't need the most highest protection that they can receive from the God of the universe, you are a sad individual and I hope that everyone who is writting on this blog will pray for you as a person, that you receive more wisdom and knownledge as a person. Yes, I am a Obama supporter, but whomever God allows to be President, we shall pray for their guidance be from God on their decision making for this country. When we pray in our daily lives this effects what our life and country will be like.

Someone picked up the note
stuck in the wall. A
newspaper published its
contents.

What's dumb or low-life
about that?

Dumb is sticking a personal
prayer into the wall in the
first place.

Can Obama have any privacy. Gee! I thought better of folks overseas , what a dumb thing to go and print

I see they got the same kind of low-lifes overseas. What goes around comes around and the folks that printed it are just as bad.
Indeed , what a SHAME.

Obama had no business going
to that Solomon's wall as a
public official on a political
tour.

the spiritual leader of the wall has said that such prayers can't be touched or used for and any or made the subject of discussion. Yet people still have the boldness to violat this devine warning. Obama did what God promised Solomon at the dedication of the temple that if the people should pray at that place He will from heaven hear their prayers.Therefore, people should be carefful what they say. He has prayed the way he feels he should pray, lets leave the young man alone. The question Obama's critics should ask themselves is our business is Obama's business with God?. As men have gone into those issues meant for God alone because of election, this election will be decided the powers of devine providence. Those who lean on the arm of flesh will cover their faces in shame. May God help America. Amen.

There will come a time when all evil sayings and irrational thoughts will be brought into judgement. Ladies and gentlemen please consider the things you say about our presumtive leaders (Barack/McCain). They are both decent men and should not be demoralized and demonized in such a manner. Let kindness and brotherly love exude from your hearts and ultimately your lips. We are tired of the hatred and filth that is now suffocating our society. Each person is entitled to their opinion but have we forgotten about objectivity in our conversations? LORD HELP US!!

I am not a supporter of Obama however, I believe that the note should have stayed where it was at and no one had the right to read it. That note was between God and Obama not for the public to hear. I am surprised at the actions of people.

REMEMBER GOD'S WAY.

To the pure all things are pure; to the corrupt all things are corrupt

How much more intrusion into Obama's spiritual life are we going to tolerate? This man has had to bare his soul literally. The attacks on Senator Obama are off the charts. Anyone who actually follows the teaching of Jesus would be very disappointed that a man's sacred conversation with God has now become political fodder

Why would anybody but the Obama campaign or their propaganda arm, the New York media, grab and publish Obama's "prayer"? Who else would care? Who else would do something that tacky? At 5:30 in the morning during an unscheduled stop.

They already desecrated the site with their campaign posters. True Believers know no bounds and have no principles.

I am amazed of all the people with suspicious minds. I wonder how well they get a good nights sleep with all of the many skeletons that are hidden in their closets.
Jesus loves Obama, and I love Obama
I am voting for OBAMA 2008

Chris Blasks:
Obamas radical views on abortion make his so called Christianity, ajoke!

The seminary student who grabbed the paper in the wall was nothing more than a petty opportunist. There's no proof Obama wrote it unless handwriting samples are compared, and I would hope no one stoops so low. It sounds like the Israeli media is as bad as the American media.

This guy is running for president.
He and his family have SS
protection 24/7 and he is still
praying for more of it.

Obama is sent by God, a true blessing to us.

Never before has a person had their prayer removed from the wall and published. All of the people accusing him of somehow "knowing this would happen" need to get back on your meds. World leaders and millions of average people have placed their prayers in that wall and they have all been left alone.

It is disgraceful that someone has done this, it causes harm in many directions to many people.

The self-righteous hatred of some of us Americans never ceases to amaze me. Obama is criticized for praying for his family, and for surrendering his will to the Father. Jesus himself would not stand a chance in America today - he would be labeled a socialist liberal, condemned for being conceived outside of marriage, and shot by a right-wing fanatic.

give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
who in their right mind believes bho did not realize that a slip of paper he put in the wall would not be taken out to be read!
his prayer was just as calculated and scripted as everything else he does.

Obama's prayer, if it really is his prayer, is a beautifully and humbly stated prayer. It tells you a lot about the man: one, that he really believes in God; two, that he does not assume he knows everything; three, that he recognizes his imperfections; four, that he depends on his creator for wisdom and guidance; five, that he is a godly leader; and six, that he really loves his family.

Of course, to those who hate and doubt him and disbelieve in God, this prayer will not reverse the hate, doubt or disbelief they feel. Nevertheless, for those of us who are truly followers of Christ, we know he possesses what this country really needs in a leader: real faith. And we also believe whether he becomes President or not, this man is on his way to heaven.

Who or what gives any of you the right to determine what anyone should be praying for at any time in his or her life? I don't think any higher power has given you the right to judge a person's personal prayer to their God.

Some of the comments on here are really shameful. If you are Christian, the Bible states 'Judge not, lest ye be judged...' Would you like anyone to deem your prayers as insufficient or a publicity stunt? It doesn't matter where or how he prayed, only THAT he prayed - and it's neither that student's business, nor the paper's business, nor the business of any of you posting your tripe.

Any way you choose to look at it, it's a shameful invasion of privacy, and it's immoral for anyone to try to stand in judgement of a person's prayer.

Go Obama! You have my vote and always will. May God protect you and your family.

Leaving personal prayers
in the fissures of a wall
is for children or
adolescents - not for
grown men.

he didn't even pray for other people, he only prayed for himself. what a selfish man.

at least he knows his fallacy is his pride... being too cocky.

Is there any proof that this prayer was written by Obama? We have only this "student's" word that it was Obama's. The student could have easily written the prayer himself. Shame on the newspaper that published the note without verifying that Obama actually wrote it.

It would seem to me to be abundantly clear that this was, indeed, Senator Obama's prayer slip. How would I know? Well, it's almost word-for-word what he told Newsweek in last week's print edition.

After telling the Lisa Miller and Richard Wolffe that he prays in his daily life, he was asked "What do you pray for?" Here is his response: "Forgiveness for my sins and flaws, which are many, the protection of my family, and that I'm carrying out God's will, and not in a grandiose way, but simply that there is an alignment between my actions and what he would want."

Now whether these sentiments are genuine or carefully crafted is not a matter that can be objectively verified. I make no claims to that. But you've got to admit, he's certainly been consistent.

(Oh no, here come the attack dogs, yelping: "He's not consistent! Didn't he say he would consult the generals and modify his Iraq strategy as conditions on the ground changed?" Yes, yes he did say that. Which is what he has consistently said since Iowa and before. Whoever says otherwise proves that when Obama talks, they don't hear him, but some invisible voice inside their own heads...)

I've been hearing for 8 years that God was on the Republican side, talking to Mr. Bush directly. So... this wasn't actually the truth either? No wonder some people here are so angry. Let us prey.

Wow!! love or hate Obama ...I think if he become president ..there is always going to be people who are going to hate him either because he is black or because he is liberal or a democrat people are going to find a reason..it is easy ..If he didn't pray for his family ..people would say he is not a family man or what ever the opposite point would help spray their poison ..don't forget people this is only one prayer of out many..People who actually pray everyday know that we pray for different things at different times ..So all of you trying really hard to define him on one prayer had already had made your mind up that you hate or dislike him ..that is fine... But don't pretend like his personal prayer to god should be about you so that you would start to like him...So ask yourself this question when is the last time you prayed for country or even your family when you miss them and you are far away in a foreign country...and then have the world look at that one PERSONAL prayers and spray venon and hate on it because you love your family.

God bless you all

Hope you all pray tonight for forgiveness

amen

He should have stuck a
blank piece of paper in
the cracks of the wall.

I hope he gets elected...Israel will NOT be safe.

>>>Chiji | Jul 25, 2008 4:38:44 PM

Thank you; You're absolutely right.

I agree with all those who have taken umbrage at the act of publishing the man's private prayer at the Western Wall. Wrong as that is, I'm also thankful to have a peep into the senator's spiritual leanings.

For those who critique the contents of his prayer, saying that he's selfish and should have prayed for America, or some other subject, please be still and meditate a bit. There's a place and time for every subject. God does ask us to pray for others; but we must also be right with Him first. Consider Christ's teaching that if you bring offering to God, but remembers that you have offended your neighbor, you should leave the gift at the altar and first make amends with your neighbor before you do anything else. Then consider when King Solomon assumes the Jewish kingdom from his father David. God gave him a blank check, to ask for anything. Solomon asked for one thing: Wisdom. God rewarded him for not really asking for wealth or anything else that would have been for him alone. He gave Solomon wisdom and tossed in wealth in the bargain. Today, in the Judeo-Christian world, Solomon is ordinarily regarded as the "wisest man" in the word, even when that world would also regret Solomon's insatiable apetite for women.

Obama prays for his family; he asks for forgiveness; he confesses his inadequacy, and then seeks wisdom from Yahweh. And we have a problem with that?? People, be kind.

It has to be something of mean-spiritedness for anyone who claims to know anything about prayer in Judaism and Christianity to not find comfort in Obama's prayer. Nothing is out of place or "odd" about his prayer. Christ on the cross was concerned for his earthly mother and made sure he passed her over to the care of one of his beloved followers. Paul asks Christians to ask for wisdom from God, who gives such without restraint. Check out the prayer of Jabez as well.

Please attack Obama on other subjects, but join in condemning the acts by the seminarian and the newspaper for invading the privacy of a supplicant at the Wall, and back off from criticizing the contents of that most intimate of spiritual acts, a conversation a person engages with their God--prayer.

Thought I saw it all...guess not...just another chapter in the daytime soapy "The Many Faces Of Obama"!

this election counts:

So what does Nader stand for, he is and has been a loser for the last 20 years. I would gather that you are a Dem, but unhappy with Obama. In which case I'm glad that you are wasting your vote, since I want to see McCain win. I only hope that all Dems do the same thing! By the way you say that you know McCain, then you know that he had been more middle of the road than anyone that has run for President in the last 30 years. So therefore you must be ultra left leaning, where you along with the ultra right think that everything is black or white and that everyone has to believe 100% the way you believe in order to get your vote. I wish that all people that are that far to the left or the right waste their votes since they do not live in the real world anyways.

HP BOSTON,
I'm not disparaging any and all opinions, just those that were freely admitted to be uninformed. Why would anyone give undue respect to uninformed opinions?

That is all....

Posted by: DvlsAdvocat | Jul 25, 2008 3:11:59 PM
---------------------------------
And for you also! It is not nice to come here and call people names and disparage any and all opinions.
Shalom.

You Obama bashers have no shame! If he went to see the troops, you'd accuse him of using them--as Bush never had a problem doing--as a political backdrop. Rather than have it interpreted as such, Obama doesn't visit them and you STILL criticize him! My God, it's tough to be proud to be an American these days when one has to share the country with fools and hypocrites like you!

You know, the seminarian's accomplishment could have been made much more easily. All he had to do was contact the team of writers and aides that wrote the 'prayer' in the first place.

"guard against pride"
even he knows he's full of it

"and despair."
depressive tendency?

"And make me an instrument of your will."
It should, make me an instrument of the will of the people (democracy). And the will of the people was for you to lose the primary.

-Too bad Obama didn't stuff his birth certificate in the wall!-

Which one?

And this gem: "whenever you write anything down it is no longer private"....is just astounding. Do you really think about what you are saying, or is the job of carrying water too much of a strain on you?

Posted by: DvlsAdvocat | Jul 25, 2008 3:28:56 PM

-------------------------
Look we do not care about the freaking wall!! It is about Obuma and his crappy publicity stunts and self centered wash my feet and kiss my butt attitude! Obuma the the guy who will most likely back you into a WALL!

Another Dem For McCain - Thank you. I understand and have the same logic pulling at me in my head. This election choice is such a dilemma for me and our country is in such need of great strong knowledgeable leadership. I am taking one day at a time - maybe something will happen to make me feel differently about the candidates.

Royce - Whenever you write anything down it is no longer "private". Obama should have kept his prayers between himself and God as God has directed us to pray. He has no right to privacy when he did this public act with TV cameras all around and he has created a hand written document. He should have written a prayer for the world knowing this was a public prayer - not personal and private.

Obama now proposes the very things he said he opposed. Same old Obama, different day (SOODD)!

this election counts
================================
Want you to know that I posted my reply BEFORE I read your latest message. I do not think in any way that you are a disgrace to vote as you believe. I just wanted to give you further food for thought because I am thinking pretty much the same way you are. But in my gut, I know I absolutely do not want Obama so I want to do the realistic thing to keep him out of office. The way I think is "A vote that counts against him is better than a vote that doesn't count at all." Please do what you need to do! You are great to take such an interest in the election. Many will not even look for answers, they will just pull a lever on election day out of habit or because that is the way their father always voted, etc.

Royce

It's an Obama PR trick. What's telling is that his 'prayer' was a request for god to bless HIM. If that's not shameful, what is?

I am no Obama fan. I don’t think he should be elected to any public office. Prayers however are between God and the person praying to him. The seminary student is scum and Ma’ariv is nothing but a dirty rag. Israel should be embarrassed by both of them. They have certainly shamed the entire nation and disgraced the Jewish people.

Obama leads his lemmings through twists and turns and those lemmings are too busy playing follow the leader to notice they're now going opposite the direction they started on. Lemmings are blind little creatures.

HP BOSTON,

Please Google McCain's visit to the Western Wall from March 2008. Tell me how his visit to the wall differed from Obama's. He also went as a Senator and a presumptive Presidential candidate.
And guess what? It was chaos. Look it up, get the facts, THEN make an actually INFORMED comment about the brouhaha caused.

That is all....

this election counts ...This election is one for Obama to lose - and he is certainly not able to bring it home.
========================================
If you truly do not think Obama should win the election, why would you stay home on election day? You need to do everything in your power to see that he does not win. I would rather not vote for McCain too but I do believe that McCain will be less damaging to the country than Obama. There is no chance for a third party candidate to win but you have to help tip the scale against Obama. Everyone, if you don't want Obama to win, you must vote for McCain. The bottom line is that one of them will be President so make a realistic choice and chose the lesser of two evils. Both are bad but one is better than the other!

Personally I don't think ABC should have republished this. Yes he is a public figure but some things should not be made public. It is no different than if he had gone to confessional and the priest recorded him and published it.

RELD1127 - Very good point. With our country at war- wouldn't you think a future president would have our country in any prayer he uttered whether private or public as the wailing wall was? How disgraceful that he would not include troops and an end to war. He is not fit to be president of this great nation.

After he invades Pakistan in search of Obama that is. It sure will be peaceful on earth after we invade an unstable country with many nuclear weapons.

Posted by: Mack | Jul 25, 2008 3:00:54 PM

-----

OPPSssss..........."

Subliminal messaging :)

hughck : What are we going to get if we vote for Obama? He is untested, unknown and flip flops constantly. I know what we would get with McCain and I don't want it. So I will vote for Nader or stay home because I cannot say with any degree of certainty which of the 2 would be the lesser of evils. We don't know what Obama has in his heart - what I see I don;t like. We don't know what Obama will end up deciding and irrationally I might add later to claim it was a mistake. We don't know what Obama really knows about the facts- he is a poor debater and avoids any specifics and is very hesitant and inarticulate when talking one-on -one without a pre written (by someone else) prepared speech. This is the first election- national or local that I ever considered having to abstain. I desperately want to tlike him- keep trying but can't get over his mistakes. He had no business acting as "president" with the Berlin speech at this point in time; or acting as "president" in negotiating with middle east leaders. He oversteps his position - just wait if he gets in the white house. His head will swell up and there will be no stopping him. Even his brother knows Obama has a big head problem - said that he had to watch it when asked a couple of months ago. Absolute power breed absolute corruption. That is what I fear- because Obama has not been tempered. He is naive to history, naive to this country, naive of this country's people, naive to the intricacies of foreign policy, our government- which he WILL have to work with and through regardless of his initial naive claims of bringing change to Washington. Jimmy Carter failed at this too. I am not a disgrace because I won't vote for McCain or Obama. That is my right as a citizen to vote for who I feel would be the best choice- and today I feel it will be Nader. Am I a disgrace because I vote my conscience even though I am discouraged that it will be a throw away vote because the DNC & GOP block any 3rd party from participating? Am I a disgrace because I will not be forced to support whoever the party selects regardless of popular vote? If so- then so be it I am a disgrace.

After he invades Pakistan in search of Obama that is. It sure will be peaceful on earth after we invade an unstable country with many nuclear weapons.

Posted by: Mack | Jul 25, 2008 3:00:54 PM

-----

OPPSssss...........

Obama prays to who?

Obama is a theif...he stole John Edwards' campaign platform in the beginning...John Edwards was the candidate for CHANGE.....obama stole his idea....and he prays to a God for show only.....he is an "actor", for his real god is "Ala"

"we need a man of peace and future President Obama is the man that will help bring about that peace."

After he invades Paksitan in search of Obama that is. It sure will be peaceful on earth after we invade an unstable country with many nuclear weapons.

Obama: First and always for Obama.

How manny of you out there dont have in your prayrs ,for our troops and for our country and for peace? I would find it very sad,if it were very manny,at all, and those that forget,well they seem to be praying for self,and god will find this very un christin and shallow!! and here it is still god bless America,and not God damn America,as that is taking the Lords name in vain, as well as other things ...hate! But I guess he wanted the news coverage,you reep what you so

"With all due respect to you, People like me living outside america understand americans better than you understand yourselves it seems."

Black Adder was more than a spoof. It was a clinical analysis of the British failure to come to terms with its failures as a modern society.

Brits think a sonic screwdriver is something one uses to open doors to other dimensions. Americans think it is a drive-in drink to which one adds a little vodka.

Questioner - well said!

Bho, should have prayed for his country and the troops as well as for peace,.... not so much just of self! and I beleive it was staged like the rest of this empty suit,and empty soul, go back to his church of twenty years and just see what hatred and bigotry he ingested for over 20 years, and then lies about it, I would take you back to what his very own mentor and spiritual adviser said about him,he speacks as a politition!...lies!!!!

Independant: I do not hate Obama. Like I said earlier we had donated money to his campaign. But now too much has proven to be false. He has too much audacity and not enough prudence, humility or maturity.

Obama is a typical politician - no change in fact he was raised on dirty Chicago politics, he has a selfish ego objective, he flip flops for his personal reasons, he is not secure in his beliefs and positions, he cannot relate to the people of this nation other than blacks (I believe he is racist) he is not truly patriotic- (words are cheap), he is lacking good judgment - he should have waited until he had more experience, he is inexperienced and insecure in what he should be doing and saying and has too many "What I meant was" episodes. There are more similarities between Bush & Obama than his supporters will see. I could go on, but no where does his race enter into the decision - his racism does however - not mine.

Posted by: questioner | Jul 25, 2008 2:35:31 PM

--------------Your post is 100% 0n target. THanks--------------------
------------------------------------

Independent
I don't know about anyone else, but I do not hate Obama, in fact I admire him. My problem is I do not trust him because he does not seem to say the same thing to everyone. I also over my years of living have found out that people hang around people that are like them. So I have a hard time with him going to a racist church for 20 years and being friends with a person that bombed USA buildings. I find it hard to believe that he did not know what these people he was friends with stood for. If he really did not know what his minister stood for after 20 years of friendship, then I have to believe that he is either a fool or just plain stupid. If that is the case I don't want him leading my country.

Next to all of you that say you won't vote for either McCain or Obama, I say you are fools. This country and who leads is is important. To not vote or waste your vote on someone that can't win, when one of these 2 men will come closer to what you think is best for this country than the other, is disgrace. It is better to have someone leading this country that you agree with 60% of the time than to have the other person that you only agree with 5% of the time.

It's interesting listening to the venom coming from Obama haters.

Do you guys just hate him this badly because of his policies or is there more to it?

Posted by: Independent | Jul 25, 2008 2:23:50 PM
------------------------------
ALL OF THE ABOVE!!

'You must be joking. McCain visited the western wall already, as have Laura Bush, the Pope, Vladimir Putin, and a host of other political figures'.

YES, THEY DID!

And NONE of them initiated the breu ha ha (yes, it's mispelled!) and pomp and litter that B O did... not only because
they were there as visitors rather than contestants.... but (aside from the Pope and possibly the President)also because they did not pretend to be there in any capacity other than as individuals...

Obama is an egomaniacal presumptuous candidate who is so full of "pomp", he has forgotten that the people he is supposed to protect and provide for should he win... ARE HERE!
... AND THE PROMISES HE MAKES.. should be probable.

Looking at all the unfinished jobs.. some untouched... he has left behind in his climb to the top of the political heap.. the prospect of this is doubtful.

HILLARY OR MCCAIN
but always:

COUNTRY BEFORE BROKEN DOWN DNC AND FORCE-FED B O!!!

To those who don't really know how a candidate gets selected here are some facts: 1) delegates select the candidate not popular vote 2) the delegates are not selected fairly based on 1 vote = 1 count. In fact some votes count as 2 where others in the same state count as 1 based on the area's historical voting turnout. Caucus's are a whole other can of worms not based on popular vote results 3) super delegates did not support the candidate their city/state selected based on popular vote 4) even in the presidential election it is the electoral college who selects the president - not the people based on popular vote (in 2000 it was the Supreme Court who selected our president) So until we do away with delegates and the electoral college- NO the PEOPLE do not put up their candidates of choice or elect the president. It is all a sham - a kangaroo court. In fact the parties control (and if you do not think they have the strings to pull and the corrupt actions to make things happen all the way from media coverage (i.e.Roosevelt never seen in wheelchair)) who they want to to run you are very very naive.