Why does Rev. Wright continue to hurt Obama?

Rev. Jeremiah Wright has finally broken has silence.  After weeks of staying silent and letting the story play out into political history, he has brought it back to the forefront in dramatic fashion.  But for democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, his “friend” now seems much more like an enemy.  However, if the media were truly paying attention Wright’s weekend vanity tour should help the senator more than it hurts him.

Since the reverend’s comments first came into the public’s view weeks ago, the media and Obama’s opponents have done all they possibly can to confuse where Wright’s words end and Obama’s begins.  Despite the dozens of times the campaign has spoken out against them, the media has decided that whatever nonsense comes out of Wright’s mouth is the responsibility of Barack Obama to answer to them. 

But if you saw yesterday’s bizarre appearance in Washington, you would see once and for all that whatever place Rev. Wright held in Sen. Obama’s heart or mind years ago he is not in that same place now.  What we saw yesterday was a man hell bent on destroying his so called friend’s political future.  Time after time he denigrated and insulted Obama for a cheap laugh.  Whatever friendship existed before, it has clearly been tossed aside now.

If Obama really wants to sever these ties with which the media and his political opponent insist on binding him to Wright, he should use this opportunity not only to denounce Wright but to strike back.  Because if Senator Obama does not feel now, after being run through the mud yesterday by a man looking to bring him down, that he should get aggressive and defend his integrity then perhaps it would be fair for voters to question his resolve.

Posted by David McBride, marketing director at American Public House Review

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Tunes and Taverns

 According to historian Peter Thompson in his book Rum, Punch and Revolution: Taverngoing and Public Life in Eighteenth Century Philadelphia, toasting and singing were means of drawing together people from disparate backgrounds. It is only fitting that both traditions continue to flourish at The Washington House, where legend states that at this location The Liberty Bell  and its protectors stayed overnight in 1777 during their flight from the British Army.Today the property is not only the site of a splendid 19th century tavern and restaurant; but adjacent to this historic structure is the newly renovated Sellersville Theater.

 In the next issue of American Public House Review our correspondents will raise a glass or two at the bar while some of the best musicians in America raise their voices next door.  

Join us for a nightcap after the final curtain call. 

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher

TAPS in Nevada

The many blessings of my life have included a handful of sunrises over the Washoe Mountains. In a couple of weeks my assignment for American Public House Review will take me back to those foothills of the Sierras. 

It seems the team from The Atlantic Paranormal Society and myself appear to have similar tastes in taverns when it comes to looking for spirits – first at The Cashtown Inn and now we will cross paths once more at The Old Washoe Club in Virginia City, Nevada. The difference being their spirits are composed of orbs and ectoplasm and mine are made up of various grapes and grains. No matter which form of spirits I encounter at this grand old saloon, It will be an honor raising a glass at the same bar where Ulysses S. Grant, Phil Sheridan and Mark Twain were known to have hoisted a few.

From Virginia City we will head south to visit one of my personal favorite watering holes at Nevada’s oldest hostelry, The Gold Hill Hotel. And of course no trip to this piece of western expanse would be complete without a stopover at the much celebrated Genoa Bar. 

     

 

I look forward to sharing this journey in the June Issue of

American Public House Review.

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher                                                 

Six weeks of Pennsylvania and little achieved in the results

So here we are, the day after the Pennsylvania primary.  For the past six weeks, and even for weeks before that, we heard from the pundits that this was going to be crucial.  This primary was supposed to be as big and as decisive as Iowa’s or New Hampshire’s.  Well, I guess it was because it has, like those two, decided absolutely nothing.

We had six weeks of a campaign that ended up being waged in the gutters of the political world.  Once upon a time the Democrats argued about who will cover more Americans with their healthcare proposals, who has the best plan to end the war in Iraq, or who has the best ideas for stabilizing a teetering economy.  But the good folks of Pennsylvania were instead subjected to, boilermakers, bowling scores, and fantasy bullets.  Policy was replaced with nonsense, and all at the cost of millions.  Even the debate, an event that usually brings a pause to the silliness, was a disgrace.

And what is worse is that after weeks of hypocrisy and hyperbole, the results bring nearly nothing.  Both candidates did about what we would have expected six weeks ago.  Sure, Obama cut into Clinton’s lead, but everyone expected he would do that.  And perhaps he forced her into a tenuous financial situation moving forward, but does anyone really believe that will stop the Clintons?  She is still behind in delegates and popular vote and he still has not closed the deal.  But they have managed to damage each other quite a bit.  Congratulations Senators, millions spent in Pennsylvania and all you have achieved is a big “thank you” from John McCain.

The only good news is that it is finally behind us.  The next six weeks will feature the final ten contests.  Will they give us the closure we all desperately crave?  The chances are just as likely they will as they won’t.  As much as the cable media loves this stuff, it is driving the rest of us absolutely insane!

Posted by: David McBride, Marketing Director – American Public House Review

Landing in New Castle

[By the light from of an old gas lamp, located along the strand, we guided our sturdy craft into the shallows off New Castle, Delaware. 

 

Well, truth be told – we came by way of Interstate 95 in my fairly sturdy, well engineered Hyundai Elantra. But as one walks the cobblestone alleys that lead down to the river, the Atlantic imparts a hint of its presence in this channel north of Delaware Bay. A bit of salt on the tongue and a touch of brine in the nostrils helps to conjure up images of the Swedish, Dutch and English sailing ships that once plied these waters. 

 Ed Petersen, the Creative of Director of American Public House Review, and I both agree that New Castle rivals Williamsburg, Virginia as one of the best preserved and finest examples of colonial life in America. For that reason we wanted to feature the town and its pubs in an upcoming edition of the magazine. 

So we took up afternoon residence at the aforementioned public houses and proceeded to acquaint ourselves with local lore, colonial culture and a few indigenous ales.

We look forward to sharing this journey soon!  

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher American Public House Review  

 

Triumph, Tracks and Taverns

  For those readers of American Public House Review that are wondering about the whereabouts of the April issue – let us assure you that we have not been derailed or sidetracked. But it did come to our attention that the bar car had taken on so many passengers that in order to continue our journey we would need to replace our aging equipment with more powerful rolling stock.

To that end our editorial and technical staff have spent countless hours in the roundhouse putting the finishing touches on our new engine.  

 

 So before I overextend my use of metaphor and analogies, let me take this tme to inform our readers that “Tracks and Taverns” will be one of several new features in American Public House Review. Articles contained within that heading will explore those unique pubs that  have been influenced by America’s rich relationship with riding the rails.

Our first whistle stop will be Triumph Brewing Company In New Hope, Pennsyvania. This wonderful brew Pub sits alongside the main station of the historic New Hope and Ivyland Railroad.

 Take the ride by signing up for your free subscription at American Public House Review.

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more example of the erosion of presidential politics

For years, we have expected presidential debates to be mostly serious affairs, so much so that many found them boring.  Two or more candidates would take to a stage and be questioned on policy issues by some network political wonk and many would tune out after only a few minutes.  Well after last nights democratic debate in Pennsylvania, those days can now be viewed as the good old’ days.

What we saw last night was nothing short of a seismic shift in the way network televised debates will be presented.  Instead of a 90 minute break from the normal nonsensical campaign bantering of surrogates and the infantile back-and-forth silliness we all have come to expect, we got more of just that sort of thing in this debate.  Thanks to Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, discussion of policy and real issues, like the economy, Iraq, healthcare and anything else that matters to people’s lives, took a back seat and were pushed aside.

The first question should have given us an insight into what was coming.  Charlie Gibson, with his glasses perched on his nose so as to appear like the candidates fourth grade history teacher, asked if they would put the other on the ticket as a running mate.  But he didn’t specify who the question was for, so as the two senators paused in an attempt to be polite to one another Gibson gave a snarky “Don’t all talk at once” type jibe.  Either Gibson choked on the very first question, or he was hoping this would happen so he could put them both down right off the bat.  It was ridiculously awkward moment, but as the next 50 minutes would reveal, it was just the type of table setter he was looking for.

The first six questions, encompassing nearly the entire first half of the debate, was completely devoid of policy issues or anything else one would expect to find in a debate.  Instead we got regurgitated “gotchas” that have all been discussed and answered over and over for weeks.

There was an obvious plan to what ABC wanted out of this debate.  They were going to corner Obama and watch as Clinton slapped away, like an episode of Jerry Springer.  For example, the moderators used a taped question from a Pennsylvanian about Obama and his lack of a flag lapel pin, as if that were of any consequence to why I can’t afford to fuel my car.  Of course no one bothered to point out that Hillary Clinton was also not wearing a pin, because that just wouldn’t have fit the script.  It was painfully pointless and depressingly hard to watch.

But it will be up to bloggers and newspapers to point this out.  The television media will never criticize one of their own as soon they will also be called on to perform such a task.  Will this new “reality television” style of political debates be what the future holds?  Let’s all hope not.

Crews perform some important extra work on the new Yankee Stadium

Are you a baseball fan like me?  Perhaps considered by loved ones to be a bit…what’s the phrase…fixated on baseball?  Are you the kind of fan who can more easily recall dates of no-hitters than birthdays of relatives?  Then you will probably, like me, perfectly understand this story from the AP regarding some extra work that needed to be performed on the new Yankee Stadium.

It appears that a construction worker, who roots for the Boston Red Sox and only worked at the stadium for one day, buried a David Ortiz jersey in the concrete below the stadium.  When Yankees official found this out, they remedied the potential calamity.

A construction worker’s bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium was foiled when the home team removed the offending shirt from its burial spot.

After locating the shirt in a service corridor behind what will be a restaurant in the new Yankee Stadium, construction workers jackhammered through the concrete Sunday and pulled it out.

Okay, for those of you who are snickering and think this ridiculous, you obviously do not understand the power of curses and superstition in baseball.  You never step on the foul line when coming off the field, you don’t even think about uttering the words “no-hitter” before it’s over, you never talk about winning a postseason series until it the last out is made, and you never, ever disrespect the power of bad mojo. 

Ask the generations of Red Sox fans who saw their team fall on their collective faces for over 80 years if they respect curses.  Ask the Cubs fans who still anguish every year over their losing team if they respect curses.  As a third generation Yankee fanatic I applaud the Yanks for taking care of this potential disaster.  A little extra jack hammering to rid our beloved team of decades of bad mojo can never be a bad thing.

Posted by: David McBride, Marketing Director – American Public House Review

The Griswold Inn in Essex, CT brings you back to a better time

The Griswold Inn located in Essex, CT is one of those places that make you feel like you’ve crossed back in time about 200 years when you walk through its doors.  It is dripping with history and some of the details that adorn every corner of this tavern make you stop in your tracks and admire them.  Like this sign below…

I found it strange that only these two groups of people need to report to the captain of the vessel.  Are these truly the only folks he should be concerned about?  Ahh, how I long for the good old days when homeland security meant keeping track of gamblers and “fancy women”…

Click here to read our article from the Griswold.  It is a captivating pub situated within a gorgeous and historic New England town.

Can the Democrats afford to keep this battle going?

This presidential primary season began with most of us assuming Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic nomination quickly and the Republicans would go on battling it out perhaps all the way to the convention.  Even after Iowa little had changed in that thinking.  Obama looked like an easy winner and no one thought Mike Huckabee would walk to the finish line without first having to fight off John McCain in the west, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in the northeast and Fred Thompson in the south.

But we could not have been more wrong.  McCain walked to the finish line, while the Democrats can’t even seem to locate the track.  But is this long fight between the two popular senators really damaging the party’s chances to win in November?  That is the question that seems to get asked of every pundit on cable news.  A few of them think it is not hurting the Democrats chances significantly, that exposure can only be a good thing and that the general election is too far off to worry about now.  But I just can’t agree with that assessment.

There are good primaries and there are bad primaries.  A good primary battle is a policy-based primary battle.  In the Democrats case this would be an ideological left versus center battle, think Jerry Brown against Bill Clinton.  It would be a fight where the direction of the party is defined for the general election.  In the past Democrats of fought over foreign policy, trade agreements, and other such topics and came out of the primary process with a nominee whose ideas are supported by the majority of the party and have had the benefit of months worth of debates, stump speeches and town hall meetings to introduce those ideas to the voters.  This would be a long, hotly contested but good primary.

But that is not at all what we have here.  Clinton and Obama are remarkably close on many policies.  Sure there are small differences in healthcare proposals and even some big differences in foreign policy.  But that is not what the media is discussing when covering these two candidates.  Instead we have tax records, former pastors, and exaggerations.  These are the things that can not help a candidate in November.  They can only hurt. 

This is why it is perfectly fine for many in the party to call for this to be decided sooner rather than later.  Perhaps it is not decided just yet, but if the Democrats continue on this path past early May and onto the convention they will be handing a big advantage to the Republicans.  Since these two candidates are so close on policy, the Democrats must ask themselves if this is really worth it.