The lead story on MSNBC‘s Hardball on Friday was focused on the fight for Hollywood money. The story, “Battling for Hollywood’s Big Bucks“, discusses the big influence that Hollywood has because of their donations to candidates, mainly the Democrats.

For the 2008 Presidential Election, Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama are fighting over the approximate $40 million that Hollywood will donate this year. According to the story, it is especially important because these two candidates are foregoing Federal matching dollars. So they wil need more money, but donors will be able to give $2,300 instead of $1,000.

I hope that the media will see beyond the popularity of Hollywood because it takes a lot more votes than those who have the money in Hollywood, but in reality they will go where the money is and ignore what others want. That is true for all politicians.

It takes a lot of money these days in order to run for President or any office. It is time that we take a look campaign spending limits and that will restrict the donations that the politicians receive. You have to be wealthy to run for office these days at the exclusion of the middle and low-income class people.

Today, politicians and our legislature are diverse in their ethnicity and backgrounds, but most are extremely weathly and have lost touch with the common American. It is time that we seriously look at how we fund and how much we allow politicians to spend on elections, opening them up to more people.

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Hilary Clinton has posted on her website that she is in for a 2008 Presidential run.

Read CNN’s story.

Read the Washington Post‘s coverage.

The field gets more crowded and the major contenders are coming in.

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Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado has announced that he will honor his two-term promise to the voters of Colorado and he will not seek a third term as a U.S. Senator.

This will create quite of bit of interest in the next election cycle. Not only will Colorado have this open seat, there will be big race for President and Denver will be hosting the Democratic National Convention.

Here is a quote from Senator Allard from the Denver Post, “In an age when promises are cast away as quickly as yesterday’s newspaper, I believe a promise made is a promise kept,” said Allard. “The people of Colorado placed their trust in me based on my promise to them to serve no more than two terms, and it was very important to me to not dishonor that trust.”

This race will be wide open, but it will be hard for Republicans to win this seat. For the Republicans, names mentioned include former Governor Bill Owens and former Congressmen Scott McInnis and Bob Schaeffer.

For the Democrats current Congressman Mark Udall has already announced that he is running and maybe current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will definitely be mentioned. I am wondering if current Congressman John Salazar will try and join his brother in the U.S. Senate.

Slapstick had this to say about Allard stepping down. “A true man of his word, Sen. Wayne Allard honored his self-imposed two-term pledge. Unlike senate lifers, blowhards (they enjoy the sound of their own voices), and presidential aspirants, Allard carved out a quiet record as a citizen-legislator, unfazed by the glitz and power-politics of DC.”

The RealClearPolitics Blog already has some thoughts on how the election for this seat will go:  “This is probably good news for GOP hopes of holding on to this seat, as Allard would have faced an uphill battle against the likely Democratic nominee Rep. Mark Udall. If former two-term Governor Bill Owens were to throw his hat in the ring, Republicans would probably be favored to hold the seat. The other prominent names mentioned on the GOP side at this early stage would likely be considered slight underdogs against Udall.”

It will definitely be a fun election, but my thoughts now are it will be hard for the Republicans to beat Representative Mark Udall for this seat.

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I cannot believe Senator Barbara Boxer of California told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, “You’re not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with immediate family. So who pays the price?”

Single women have come a long-way in making strides in the business and professional communities.  Secretary Rice does not need to have kids to work and make decisions.  She fully understands what happens when she makes recommendations to the President.

What gets me is that the main stream media is covering it up.  All the mentions in the main stream newspapers are that it happened as Secretary Rice was grilled by Congress.  What would have happened if a male had done this to Secretary Rice, or what if a Republican Senator had done this to a Democrat?  There is a double-standard going here and it is not right.

Has it come to the point that the only way that you can be a good leader of this country is that you must have kids?  I don’t think so.  People are smart and no what the consequences of their decisions that affect this country.  They don’t have to have kids to make good ones.

Secretary Boxer and the Democrats are completely out-of-touch with what is going on in this world.  To question the Secretary of State in this manner is tasteless and unprofessional.

I think this is setting the stage for a controversial two years when we should be having a good and vigorous debate about the state of our country and our place in this world.  There were thoughts that this might happen, and it appears to be coming true.

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Gerald Ford has always been for equal rights for all. It does not matter if they were gay, straight, or black. He worked to ensure that everyone was treated equally. They were commenting on a story originally published today in the Wall Street Journal.

Wonkette, you went a little too far this time. President Ford was someone who appreciated and respected everyone and this was a couple who did something to save a former President’s home when no one else cared or would do anything.

Ford’s Childhood Home Taken Over by Gays (Wonkette)
In Grand Rapids, Fixer-Upper Leads To Unusual Bond (Wall Street Journal)

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According to a AP Story, the North Carolina Bar has filed ethic charges against Mike Nifong, the prosecutor in the Duke Lacrosse case.

The North Carolina Bar has charged Nifong with “violating the prohibition against making comments that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation of the accused.” He was also charged with “breaking forbids dishonesty, fraud, deceit, and misrepresentation.” In the story, this was added because Nifong told a reporter that the players probably used a condom after the DNA results came back negative when he knew that wasn’t true.

When I first heard of this case, I was saddened that this had happened. But as more of the evidence has been made public I have become angry that the charges have not been dropped. But upon learning that Nifong was up for re-election, I feel that this case was brought forward for purely political reasons.

Paul’s World also has this same opinion, “It seems fairly clear this guy used this case for political purposes, pursued charges he could not sustain, withheld evidence and pretty much abused his office.”

Rape and kidnapping are serious charges. And when they are brought forward falsely, it only hurts the current and future cases that are being tried or will be tried in the future.

Nifong could be admonished or disbarred for these charges. I think Nifong should drop the rest of the charges and step down as county prosecutor and then be disbarred by the North Carolina Bar.

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I am hearing some breaking news.  Former First Lady Betty Ford has told the Associated Press that her husband and former President Gerald Ford has died, he was 93.

He took over this country in a troubled time and did a pretty good job only to get caught up in the anti-Republican and anti-Nixon election to lose the election to Jimmy Carter.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family in this sad time.

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