I am extremely disturbed by the reaction of the paleocon crowd to John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. They have gone from apathetic about his candidacy, if not outright antipathetic, to joyful. Finally, a real conservative on the ticket, change they can believe in!
And why? She’s one of them: a rightwing, conservative Christian, anti-abortion hardliner. And I’m thinking: is this all you got? Abortion? Is this the single, overwhelming problem you think we need to solve in our nation, so much that all other positions, policies, and qualifications of a candidate can be disregarded? Should be disregarded? Now you can be excited about electing the man who will continue almost all of George W. Bush’s disastrous policies?
There’s also something ghoulish about their glee. I read one supporter’s comment who actually said that it wasn’t reasonable to expect McCain to live through his first term, and then we’d have our first woman President. Heavens.
I am not too torqued about her “lack of experience.” Some of us on this planet are just preternaturally competent, and she may be one of us. It does mean that the McCain campaign have to drop their attack on Obama as unprepared.
It’s more her religious extremist background that concerns me. Creationism? No place in our educational system or in our government. Anti-abortion? Dangerous. That’s on top of her usual Republican issues. Anti-environmentalist? Can’t afford it, people. Big Oil buddy? Been there, done that, and look how that’s worked out.
She’s anti-corruption? Where was she when the Republican party needed her for the past eight years? And does that include her own Troopergate, which is scheduled to hit the news cycle right before the election?
The base of my extreme unease over her selection, and the joy with which it’s being celebrated out on the fringes, is that the American people are just so damned dumb. There are a host of issues and policies that they need to be looking at before selecting a candidate, but they go with gut feelings and personality traits. I actually had a teacher ask me the other day if I thought Obama was secretly Muslim. WTFF?
Don’t do this, people. For once in your Fox-News-blighted lives, find out what the candidates would do if elected, and vote for the one who would make the America you want your children to live in, even if he is black or can’t remember how many homes he owns. Then maybe I could sleep at night.
It’s outrageous to me that people do not vote in their own economic interest. They vote Pro-Life, they get tax cuts for big oil. They vote anti-gay, they get banking deregulation. When are people going to wake up? What’s it going to take? Having said that, it seems to me that McCain’s VP choice smacks of desperation. And that’s a good thing.
Words you never want to see written about your campaign:
I saw the exact quote form this rep somewhere yesterday. When asked if everything that could be unearthed was already out there, his response was something like, “Well, um, Yah. Of course. Well, of course, yes, it has. Certainly.” Something like this.
Is “disbelief” the next aspect of being a man we are supposed to meditate upon?
“vote for the one who would make the America you want your children to live in”
I don’t think this is a formula that would guarantee a “rational” outcome. Hell, even I can’t stay rational when it comes to thinking about my children’s future, and I’m as scientifically socialist (i.e., pro rational and global sustainable growth strategies) as they come.
Why can’t I submit a second comment?
One observation: “vote for the one who would make the America you want your children to live in…”
I don’t know that this formula would guarantee a rational outcome. Hell, I’m not rational about my children’s future, and I’m as scientifically socialist (i.e, pro rational and globally-focused sustainable growth strategies) as they come.
This is the third time I’ve tried to submit this comment.
I tried four times. I give up.
It’s weird. I use the word “socialist.” Is that what’s causing the comment to get bumped?
Socialist.
Artichoke.
You’re going to love this. If you write something here and include the phrase “social list” and remove one “l” and then push the two parts together, you will not be allowed to submit your comment. Try it.
This is not a Meditation, no.
And you were right about the social-list thing. I don’t know why our spam filter would care about such a thing.
The bourgeoisie control the spam filters. Sic semper tyrannis!!!
Soshulyst.
Socialyste
Soc-ial-its
I think I need a break from this blog comment business. I found myself getting annoyed that you answered my joking question about whether or not this post was a meditation on disbelief and manhood with the straight answer of “No” ( and perhaps implying, “You idiot”). I was kidding. You were supposed to know that. I know it’s your blog, your reality, etc., but really. I may need to venture out and shape my own reality for a while. I don’t want to care about such things.
I find it increasingly difficult to get annoyed by anyone who posts here.
I’m sorry–I was so busy trying to untangle what happened to your comments that I did indeed fail to catch that you were joking. It crossed my mind, but then I went in search of what was going on and I just answered the question.
Socialist.
Seems to be working now.
Socialist!
It just feels good to say it.
Socialist! Socialist! Socialist!
And it’s not working, by the way.
Just accept it, Dale. At this level of internet sophistication, you can’t avoid dropping to your knees for The Man. You appease and partake. We are ironists, all.