Now that both of the major party conventions are behind us, there is one thing that is certain: A Change is Comin'. We have known this from the Democrats, and in advance of the DNC, as Sen. Obama has run thus far on a consistent message of Change. The surprising new twist coming out of the Republicans and the RNC, however, is that they too are now the agents of Change. Who knew?! But wait, before I go and get all cynical, this is good news, right? We have a wildly unpopular President who has run our country into the ground in too many ways to mention right now. Change is what we are all desiring right now; so, Change, whether it is promised by one party or the other, is Change, right? And Change is good??! Right?!

NOT SO FAST! While there is a certain level of change, with a small c, that is intrinsic in any turning over of the guard from one President's watch to an other's; this year, the choice between the Democratic and Republican Parties' Change, with a big C, could not be any more stark.

On the one hand, you have a candidate in Barack Obama who is offering the kind of Change that is real and substantial (and in my opinion, positive and needed). Whether or not you agree with them, you have to admit that his policies, along with his voting record, represent a stark break from the past 8 years.

ON THE OTHER HAND. Looking at the voting records, executive decisions and lobbyist ties of both Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain, you find not a Change from the past 8 years, but rather an almost exact duplicate of the past 8 years.

This is why I have come up with the term CHINOs to describe the Republican ticket this year. As many of you who follow politics may or may not be aware, there are these disparaging terms that float around both sides of the political divide, namely RINOs and DINOs. A RINO is a term given to Republicans In Name Only who vote more liberally than their detractors would like. You can infer from that definition what a DINO would be. The CHINOs are something new in this year's election. They are the candidates who represent CHange In Name Only. Kinda catchy, eh?

Silly name calling aside, please take the time to really investigate the records of these two tickets before deciding which one to support and ultimately vote for this November. Please don't just believe what the media, your peers, the candidates, or even me and other bloggers on the internets are saying about the Change each ticket will bring without first doing your own homework. This is a truly important election at an important time in our nation's history. Let's don't get fooled again.

And remember, CHINOs only look good on rich, white Republicans!