So, I was sucked into watching the debates by the facility provided by live internet television. I stoppped catching up on Season 2 of House to watch this. I'm pretty sure my heart rate is up to about the level it is after a half an hour of steady running.
Neither one of these candidates are great shakes. I think Obama is pretty cool, but let's be totally honest-- if he wasn't black, there wouldn't be a fuss. I say that without any possible racial bias, being "of African-American heritage", so this isn't a race thing. It's a politics thing-- he isn't great, and he won't do any more than another decent candidate. He'll just be do less harm, I think.
But McCain....
If God wasn't a just and merciful God, and His great power and wisdom fell into my hands for just one hour, I would make sure every bird in a ten mile radius pooped all over John McCain's entire campaign space and on his badly coiffeured head. Watching this campaign without shouting at him while he speaks is like trying not to jump when a car backfires. He's such a miserable person. His politics are bad, his personal attacks are bad and he's got the most horrible running mate I can imagine. If he wins, I'm not really sure what will happen to our country. A theory I've heard and sort of ascribe to is as follows:
John McCain will likely die within the next four years. I don't say this as a wish, I wish the man the best of health. But he's 72 years old, he's got health issues, and he is signing up to do one of the hardest, most stressful jobs imagineable. His ticker will not hold, man. So sadly in a spray of white lillies, the grand old boy begins his eternal sleep and has to face the Maker and reconcile all his outlandish lies. So there's that.
And then what happens? The darkness of the Palin years descends. When she was appointed to public office, the first thing she did was appoint officials. The officials she appointed all happened to have graduated from her grammer school class. So she'll probably keep up this trend, and appoint someone to be VP. He will be the anti Christ, and we'll enter into the end times.
Possibly I'm being ironical. This whole campaign feels like a sad attempt at an Alanis Morissette song. But possibly electing John McCain ushers in the Apocalypse.
I'm just saying.
Remember, take some deep breaths while you watch this. I know it's hard, but it'll all be over soon.
Did anyone catch this interview on ABC Charlie Gibson did with Palin? I read about it on Politico.com (great great site), and then some reviews of the interview by people I respect (except for the Republican governor from Missouri… seriously, are you delusional sir?). Everyone said it was sort of a disaster; even the Republicans who were trying to make it sound like less of a disaster than it was were doing management, not promotion.
Sarah Palin totally banished any faith I had in her ability to lead a country. I'm sure she'd be fun to have at a party, and she's pretty. But why do I CARE? There was a great comment that somebody left at the bottom of the recap of the interview on the ABC website. This dude said a lot of things, but what I liked was, "I'm just some jerk, and it's disappointing that she doesn't know any more than I do." That's what it is. It's not that Palin's a moron. It's that she's ignorant. SHE CAN'T BE PRESIDENT. She can't. She has no idea what this country is like, period, nonetheless what Washington is like. No one likes the thought that DC is an ole boys club. But having grown up close to the House (my mother met her husband working in a congressional office) and close to the Senate (my aunt worked in Kerry's office) and in lobbying offices, there's no denying that it IS an ole boys club. You have to know how to play ball and then learn to manipulate it for that curved pitch. Palin seems to be taking the route of, "Nope... It will change because I want it to", but she's not showing anything that suggest she'd be able to do that.
This drove me absolutely nutty:
GIBSON: Have you ever met a foreign head of state?
PALIN: There in the state of Alaska, our international trade activities bring in many leaders of other countries.
GIBSON: And all governors deal with trade delegations.
PALIN: Right.
GIBSON: Who act at the behest of their governments.
PALIN: Right, right.
GIBSON: I'm talking about somebody who's a head of state, who can negotiate for that country. Ever met one?
PALIN: I have not and I think if you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer that I just gave you. But, Charlie, again, we've got to remember what the desire is in this nation at this time. It is for no more politics as usual and somebody's big, fat resume maybe that shows decades and decades in that Washington establishment, where, yes, they've had opportunities to meet heads of state ... these last couple of weeks ... it has been overwhelming to me that confirmation of the message that Americans are getting sick and tired of that self-dealing and kind of that closed door, good old boy network that has been the Washington elite.
How long did it take her to answer that question?! And then when she did answer it, she gives some crap response like, "No, I've never met any foreign leader and you don't need some big fat resume to run the country". Actually, YOU DO! We're in a damn war, woman! This is the only job in the country you truly can't be overqualified for. I want your resume to be 85 pages long, I want you to be able to dictate the Constitution word for word, to understand advanced chemistry, and be able to hop on one foot whilst singing the American National Anthem backwards on key. Some foreign experience would be nice, too. Just saying.
This, also, was so frustrating I wanted to throw my computer on the ground and move to Canada:
And, Charlie, you're in Alaska. We have that very narrow maritime border between the United States, and the 49th state, Alaska, and Russia. They are our next door neighbors.We need to have a good relationship with them. They're very, very important to us and they are our next door neighbor.
GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?
PALIN: They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
GIBSON: What insight does that give you into what they're doing in Georgia?
PALIN: Well, I'm giving you that perspective of how small our world is and how important it is that we work with our allies to keep good relation with all of these countries, especially Russia. We will not repeat a Cold War. We must have good relationship with our allies, pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it's in their benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to be getting along.
In case you missed it and were wondering, she never actuallys answers the question. She uses the words "insight", "Georgia" and "Russia", but never provides anything close to an insight.
America-- seriously, if you vote her in, I'm becoming a Canuck and learning to say "aboot".
While he sort of scares me to my core, it's recently become more likely that I'll be voting for Obama in the upcoming election.
Reasons include: *Not voting Republica. I think Sarah Palin is an alien who will arrange for the de-particularization of the highly likely-to-shuffle off this mortal coil-soon-anyway McCain in order to become the nice-legged President of the Human Race. She will then turn the planet over to her alien race for performing tests. Also, because she has no foreign experience during wart-times with extremists who disrespect and abuse women. So... I can't turn Republican.
* I turned 18 just after the last vote to elect O.D.B. (Old Dubya Bush). I've seen what happens when we don't take part. There ain't no WAY I was not going to vote in this election.
*I know next to nothing about the independents. I know that enough people don't know anything about the independents. Thus they won't be in the White House.
*And so I am forced to go Democrat (since I decided writing in Stewart/Colbert would be a wasted vote). And thus Obama.
But the following was reassuring: On the Annotated meeing for the new Democrat Platform, "Listening to America", the Obama campaign worked to raise support for the local meetings of the Democratic Party. The meetings took place in people's homes, in churches, town halls, etc. People were getting involved with their party. The mayor, the plumber, the bakers, the out of work dead beat who lives around the corner: they were talking to government, getting involved, getting informed. Their conversations, debates, responses were recorded. The government paid attention to what the people were saying and as a result: the new platform. It was heartening, a small gesture towards true Grecian democracy. I was proud of America, just for a second.
This is a quote: :Littleton, NH, 7/20. We the people should be citizen participants, not consumers of government."
Amen.
I ask this of all of you: No matter who or what you vote for, know what they stand for. Know what the issues are that you care about. READ. RESEARCH. Don't pick a name or face you like and go with that. Don't vote because that's who your friends are voting for and there's a t-shirt. Don't vote for someone because your parents do. Vote because that person is going to lead the people leading the country for the next 4-8 years. If they mess it up, it's your fault, too.
