As I write this first article for Open2it, I am a bit preoccupied by the presidential election. I suppose that something on this topic is a fitting first entry, given the potential consequences of this year’s vote. What seems painfully clear to me is that, whatever we do, we had better get things right come November. The stakes have never been higher for Americans and the world. We need to forget about party lines and elect the smartest people available to run our government.
You would think that with the unprecedented mess that the Bush Administration is leaving us with we would all suspend our allegiances to political parties and sit down with pens, paper, and calculators to plan our way out of pending economic disaster. Political rallies have a way of building solidarity, something humans need when they are in trouble, but the precious resources expended on these outlandishly bloated campaigns are gone now, and for what?So politicians could engage in public cock fights that we little folks end up financing? We need clarity, not confusion, and we need a president and vice president who can bring some real brain power into the White House.We need leaders who understand fiscal responsibility, and I'm not convinced that our choices meet that need.
I'm not a Democrat or a Republican, but since there are no other serious choices, I will no doubt vote for a ticket from an established party. I do find it curious that we only ever have two choices (unless we like throwing away our votes), but this is a topic for later.
I like John McCain. Heck, what's not to like? He's a war hero and a darn nice guy by all accounts—except for those of most other senators (do they count?). Okay, so he has a reputation for intolerable nastiness, what's wrong with that? I just like that thumbs-up that he does, the one that makes him look like a stuffed bear with really tight seems at the arm pits. He might be a little out of touch with common folk in this country—what with his mansions to look after—but then most presidents are out of touch in that way. What I’m having trouble understanding is his choice of a vice presidential running mate, the Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin.
Talk about out of touch, this back-country, gun-toting, governor of less than one quarter of one percent of the U.S. population, makes good ole McCain seem positively tuned in.Palin is a conservative Bible literalist who believes that creation stories should be taught in school.I wonder if she would also be in favor of classes that examine the ethical implications of divine genocide and drowning children in the flood that pious Noah and his adult relatives survived, or maybe coursework on the moral lessons of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.Perhaps in advocating equal time for creationism, Ms. Palin will see the logic in teaching evolution in Sunday school, though somehow I doubt it.
Palin's credibility and qualifications written by sxe60,
September 29, 2008
In regard to her recent Foreign Policy experience discussion with Katie Couric and the fact that she can see Russia from where she lives, brings a response from a local wag who states that, since he can see DFW airport from his house, he feels he's qualified to be an airline pilot. Funny, if it wasn't so frightening.
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RE Palin's credibility and qualifications written by rsr,
September 29, 2008
Indeed, Palin seems to be rather eager to jump into a job that she knows nothing about. She has never met a foriegn head of state (she didn't even have a passport until last year), yet she wants to lay claim (and indeed believes herself to be qualified) to the second most important job in the world today.
The real problem as I see it is that roughly half of the electorate sees no problem with Palin's lack of intellectual qualifications to be VP of the USA. When work-a-day people can laud a snow queen as a potential leader, it seems clear that reality checks are as worthless as those drawn on a failed bank. And, as George Bush readily illustrates, there's no bail out plan for failing politicians. Such casual detachment from the real problems facing us as a nation is truly scary.
There has been a lot of talk about who has better judgment, John McCain or Barack Obama. The VP picks alone speak volumes about this subject. McCain did not choose the most qualified running mate, but rather the one who might funnel votes from Clinton supporters his way. This tactic should insult the intelligence of anyone with half a brain. How dare he play political mind games at such a critical time in US history! He should have picked the running mate who is best qualified to help him solve our problems, not one who can barely comprehend what she is getting into. I dearly hope that this November we will see a surge of rational thinking at the voting booth.
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