Sen. John McCain Makes Arlington Heights Mayoral Race Endorsement

Imagine my surprise today when I opened up my Chicago Tribune (online) during lunch, while I was attempting to eat, and discovered that Senator John McCain (R-AZ) had endorsed a candidate in the upcoming Arlington Heights mayoral race.

If you imagine that I was unable to stomach my lunch, you'd be right.

You'll recall that I grew up in Arlington Heights. I lived there from 1974 through 1989 and then, again as an adult, from 2000 to 2011. That's 26 years. 26 of my almost 42 years of life have been spent in Arlington Heights. For the 11 years I lived there as an adult,  I worked and ran my business in Arlington Heights, and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce where I served on the Board of Directors for three years. Additionally, my mom still lives there, as do a number of my friends. I still have significant interests in the goings-on in Arlington Heights.

I'm not a fan of John McCain. Yes, he served his country nobly in Vietnam. He suffered horribly as a prisoner of war. He came home and decided to become a public servant. I don't deny that he has given the majority of his adult life in service of his country in one way or another. That is to be applauded.

The biggest thing that trips me up about John McCain is the legacy that I believe spoils the rest of what he's done in his career: Sarah Palin.

John McCain gave us Sarah Palin. John McCain's first presidential act as a candidate for the highest office in the land in 2008 was to select less than one-term governor of Alaska Sarah Palin as his running mate. He failed to vet her. Now I know, he relied on his staff to do that, but they failed to do it and the buck stops with him. Ultimately, it was his decision and he chose a woman who was horribly unqualified to hold the second highest office in the land and be a heartbeat away from running the country.

And now, John McCain wants to tell the people of Arlington Heights who to vote for on April 9th. He recommends a buddy of his who served as the mayor of an Arizona town from 2000 to 2006 and who has only lived in Arlington Heights since 2007.

Given John McCain's reputation for endorsing wholly unqualified candidates, I will tell my mom to vote for anyone but John McCain's buddy.

LMS 2016 Presidential Endorsement: Hillary Clinton

Longtime readers will remember that LMS came out early in support of then-Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

Truthfully, it was a tough decision. Then-Senator Hillary Clinton also announced that she was running for President and I'd been a fan of Hillary's since 1992. I watched as she handled the challenges of investigation after investigation over nothing during President Bill Clinton's administrations. I watched her grace as she was publicly humiliated by her husband's affairs, including with a certain intern that involved a little blue dress. I watched as health care reform was defeated in the mid-1990s, simply because she was leading it and the GOP hated that. I watched as, through it all, she remained true to her values and herself. She was a relentless advocate for women and children around the world. When she decided to run for Senate in 2000 from the state of New York, I wished I could work on her campaign or at least vote for her. Time and time again between 2000 and 2008, I wished she'd run for President and vowed I'd vote for her.

And then Illinois Senator Barack Obama announced he was running. I was a huge Barack Obama fan and had personally met him in 2002. I believed him to be sincere and simply felt he was the right person for the job in 2008. I'm still glad I was such a vocal advocate for him. President Obama has had the courage to do things many other people wouldn't have done. I voted for him again in 2012, but sadly cannot vote for him in 2016 because the Constitution won't let him run again.

Having watched now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wow the world these past four years, improve our world reputation, and broker peace, I believe 2016 will be the right time for her to become the first female President of the United States. Leaders around the world respect Hillary and she has spent the last 12 years winning over many of her biggest detractors from the 1990s.

It is time for the United States to have its first female President and Hillary Clinton is the right woman for that job.

Without reservation, Little Merry Sunshine endorses Hillary Clinton for President in 2016.

Are You Ready for Election Night?

If you're anything like me, you're busy getting ready for Election Night. You've got all your Tuesday night chores done in advance. Dinner is pre-made or you've already placed your delivery order.  All errands are run. Your inner circle knows not to call. The wine is chilled. You've got your Electoral Map ready to be colored in. And your red and blue crayons are sharpened.

What?

You don't have a blank Electoral Map ready to be colored? You don't have your crayons ready for Tuesday night?

Not to worry. You've got time to remedy that Election Night planning failure. LMS has your back. Just print out the Electoral Map below and steal borrow your kids' red and blue crayons. With any luck, you'll really only need the blue one.
 

Walk & Talk the Vote - The West Wing is BACK!!

The West Wing is back! The West Wing is back! The West Wing is back!!!!!

Okay, I may have overstated that a little, but it is. Sort of.

Here's the scoop: A woman named Bridget Mary McCormack is running for State Supreme Court in Michigan and she got the cast of The West Wing (complete with Josh and Donna!) to shoot a commercial for her. How did she manage this magnificent feat? Glad you asked. She happens to be the sister of a Mary McCormack, who was part of The West Wing cast from 2004 through 2006. How awesome is that?! So her sister and all her friends filmed a 4-minute commercial for the next Michigan State Supreme Court Justice.

And while they're at it, they even manage to teach you a lesson as memorable and important as the Schoolhouse Rock lessons. Yes, I'm serious.

Trust me, I wish I'd been there.

Now watch it and remember to vote for ALL the races and issues on your ballot this year. And if you live in Michigan, vote for Bridget Mary McCormack.

Valentine's Day Romance Tips from Rev. Al Sharpton

It's Valentine's Day and I'm sure you can all feel love in the air. I know I can. After my birthday, Christmas, Memorial Day, Easter, Ground Hog's Day, Casmir Pulaski Day, Flag Day (aka Birthday Eve), Pi Day, National Hotdog Day, Opening Day of Major League Baseball, Susan B. Anthony's Birthday, No Housework Day, National Duran Duran Appreciation Day, Valentine's Day is my absolutely favorite holiday. (Note: Those are all real "holidays". Use the Googles. You'll find them.)

I was going to share with you my suggestions for sweeping your love off his or her feet this Valentine's Day, but then my friend Steve posted the video below on Facebook and I see that the Reverend Al Sharpton has it all covered for me.

Given how much I love politics, I'm sure you won't be surprised how many of the good Reverend's suggestions could work on me this Valentine's Day. They won't, so no one should try any of them with me, but in theory they could.

As always, if you read Little Merry Sunshine via email, please click over to the blog and watch the video.

Must See TV: State of the Union Address

You may know that I love politics. One of the things I never miss, other than voting in every election, watching all the election coverage, and getting educated on the issues and candidates, is watching the President's annual State of the Union Address.

As you also probably know, this isn't just any old speech. This speech is actually constitutionally mandated. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution (that's the section outlining the duties of The Executive Office, for those of you who don't just know the Constitution backwards and forwards) specifically states,

"He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States."

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 (in 2 days) is State of the Union day this year. It will be aired at 9pm ET on all major broadcast channels and cable news channels, although I prefer to watch it on CSPAN due to the lack of color commentary before and during the speech. Sure, I enjoy hearing the spin and opinions of the talking heads, but I prefer to form my own opinions first. You can also watch it on the White House's website where you'll be able to see "charts, stats and data that helped inform President Obama's policy decisions as he delivers his speech to the nation."

No matter what your political beliefs or whether you like or plan to vote for President Obama, you should watch the State of the Union because this year's speech in particular will begin to educate you on many of the issues that will be debated in this year's presidential election.

Before you watch on Tuesday night, you can watch a preview of the speech below:

I'll be on my couch in my pj's taking notes. I hope you'll join me from the comfort of your couch.

Today's Gratitude List

This morning I woke up to Betsey's loud purring right next to my face in the exact spot where she fell asleep last night. Ross was snuggled up next to her. It was quite the sight, but it made it challenging to get out of bed. I was comfy and warm. They were comfy and warm. All was good.

Today I'm grateful for:

1. No snow in Chicago. Seriously. We've had something like 1.5 inches of snow so far this winter. I love it because it makes driving easy, but I suppose there are people who are not so excited about this.

2. Being able to have Mom in Florida to finish taking care of Nana's house. I swear I'm going to tell you this story soon. It's even almost funny. Of course, two weeks ago, it wasn't so funny.

3. Dave's generous spirit. Have I mentioned how incredible my brother is? I have? Oh, well, then his decision to run an Ultra Marathon in Palestine next month to support free trade olive farmers is just one more bit of proof. I'll be writing more about this in the next day or two.

4. The great friend I spent a very fun and relaxed day with yesterday. A great day. Thank you.

5. It's Caucus Night in Iowa! You know how much I love politics. I can't wait to get home from work tonight, toss on some sweats, pop some popcorn, and settle in for all the analysis. In honor of the official kick-off to the 2012 Presidential Election, I'm wearing my Presidents of the United States scarf today. A friend of mine once said that politics was my porn. I'm not going to deny that. And you're not surprised. You can buy your own scarf to have for upcoming elections here. You know you want one.
I bought my scarf in 1996 when I lived in Washington DC, so it only includes Presidents up to Bill Clinton. I would love an updated scarf that included President Obama.

Meet Your Match in 2012!

2012 is moments away and we all know what that means . . . it's time to pick your presidential candidate! Now, if you live in Iowa, you have your caucus on January 3rd, so you'd best get busy.

Fortunately, Little Merry Sunshine will once again be your go to blog for all things political.

First things first though. You must get behind a candidate. If you're a Democrat or otherwise refuse to vote Republican, then at the moment, your choice is simple: sit home or get behind President Barack Obama. But if you're a Republican or Tea Party member or otherwise don't vote for Democrats, you've got to wade through a whole bunch of candidates wishing to be the GOP Candidate for President.

I'm not going to try to tell you which GOP candidate to support because let's be honest, I can't come up with a reason to support any of them, but I will tell you how to figure it out.

ABC News has developed a new website called OTUS (Of the United States). Among the many cool things you'll find on the site is a quiz called the Match-O-Matic (not unlike the Cosmo quizzes, but far more important and accurate) to help you find the presidential candidate who best matches up with what matters to you.

I took the quiz and not surprisingly, it was completely accurate in telling me I should support President Obama. But then it took a turn I can't explain when it said that if I choose not to support President Obama, I might consider pulling the lever for Jon Huntsman or Ron Paul. Of course, I had 82% in common with President Obama and 9% in common for each Huntsman and Paul.

Go ahead and Meet Your 2012 Match and then come back here and let's have a chat. Can you convince me to support your candidate?

Be Still My Heart: President Obama on The Daily Show

My wisest friend once said to me, "Jess, politics is your porn." He's never been more right about anything. I also think Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are two of the funniest and smartest guys on television. What makes them funny is that they speak the truth, because they're comedians they get away with saying things most journalists can't, and in order to fully appreciate them you need to be familiar with what's going on in the world. So their shows are funny and smart; the perfect aphrodisiac.

So imagine how thrilling it was to watch Jon Stewart interview President Obama last night. I'd been waiting for those 30 minutes all day.

In case you missed it, sit tight for 22 minutes (you don't have to suffer through commercials) and be prepared to laugh and see the President grilled harder than most of the MSM grills him.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Barack Obama Pt. 3
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Let's Keep the President Waiting
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Who's Doing Cartwheels Tonight?

ME!!!!!!!

Why am I doing cartwheels?

Because as everyone knows, I'm a huge political geek. Or, as someone once said to me, "Jess, politics is your porn." Yep. Thinking back, I'm not sure that was a compliment, but I own it, nonetheless. It's true. I love politics.

Anyway, the supercool West Wing Report (and here on Twitter) is sending me a free t-shirt. That's right, I'm getting all excited over a t-shirt and I don't even know what it looks like.

You can go ahead and be jealous, it's okay.

And yes, I'll post pics of me in my West Wing Report t-shirt when it arrives.

Thanks West Wing Report!

President Obama's First State of the Union

President Obama gave his first speech to a joint session of Congress tonight. Although we usually call this a State of the Union speech, tonight's wasn't because historically, presidents don't give a State of the Union just weeks after they are inaugurated.

The speech was simply masterful. It was inspiring, yet it also took us to task for the responsibility we each have for the mess we're in. He didn't simply blame the Republicans, which would have been the easy way out and certainly would have had quite a bit of truth to it. Five stars.

Watch the speech below or read the full text here. If you watch it below, click play and be prepared to sit in silence for the first 3 minutes. But you'll love it. We clearly have an adult in the White House.




After President Obama's speech, Louisana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) gave the Republican Response. All I can say is that I'm simply confused. He actually invoked Hurricane Katrina as an example of GOP success. Really. I didn't recognize much of what he was talking about as beliefs of the Republican Party - energy independence, for example. If Jindal is the future of the GOP, then based on tonight's speech, I believe that the Democrats will be in power for many years to come.