Ugh, this upcoming election has gotten even more frustrating and annoying than it was during that endless primary season. It's making me really glad that I'll be leaving the country tomorrow to study in Spain for the next three months. Besides the fact that Sarah Palin's voice is about the most grating, irritating sound in the entire world, she keeps repeating the same stump speech full of false assertions and dodging the issues entirely. Meanwhile, an old and bumbling John McCain keeps thumbs-upping (remind you of anyone?), riding the Palin wave, and flying under the radar (maybe he should have tried that tactic to avoid getting CAPTURED in Vietnam... ok that was bad of me, but come on, the man crashed like four airplanes. And none of that is relevant to his ability to govern). And now they've even hijacked Obama's change mantra, which simply does not apply to either McCain or Palin as the media has continued to reveal and the masses have continued to ignore. As his own campaign aide said, this election isn't about the issues; it's about personality.
You would think the American people would be smart enough to see through this facade. All the facts are staring Americans in the face: the scandals and ties to lobbyists, the voting records, the failed tax policies that promise relief to the very wealthiest and none to the middle and lower classes, the guarantee of continued Bush-Cheney policies on everything from the Iraq War to the economy, the skillful avoidance of discussing the actual issues. How can the Democrats even run an intelligent campaign when the opponent fails to engage? It's like trying to have a debate with someone who responds to every jab by sticking out his (or, more likely in this case, her) tongue and making googly eyes. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans lack the interest and attention spans for politics and fail to truly consider the issues beyond the political charades. Personally, I blame this at least partially on the ridiculously long electoral process that leaves everyone mentally exhausted and tired of politics long before the election takes places. If I'm completely tired of hearing about Obama and McCain, there can't be much hope that the majority of Americans haven't hit the proverbial mute button. Unfortunately, Rove-ian politics work wonders in a situation like that, and the McCain campaign is banking on the fact that most Americans don't care enough to really think about this historical decision. They're banking on ignorance, stupidity, and carelessness to get people to vote against their own interests. By focusing on babies, God, and hockey moms, the McCain campaign has effectively diverted attention away from the real issues. And that seems to work.
If McCain wins this election, Americans deserve for our country to continue the downward spiral of the last eight years. Unfortunately, the enlightened among us will be along for the horrible ride.
Showing posts with label mccain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mccain. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
sarah who?
Does John McCain really think women are that stupid? Maybe I should bite my tongue until I see the poll numbers... many women may, in fact, be that stupid. But, come on.... Sarah Palin? Not only is his pandering embarassingly obvious, but in case anyone was fooled by such a lack of subtlety on the part of the McCain campagin, Palin herself couldn't resist from mentioning Hillary in her acceptance speech. (The speech, by the way, was ridiculous and weak on content but well-delivered... and we all know America is about style, not substance. Who's playing to America's celebrity obsession now?)
I'll give Hillary's supporters some credit, and perhaps John McCain should have, too. Yes, Sarah Palin is a woman. After that, I'm not really sure what she has in common with Hillary Clinton. It's certainly not years of experience, a liberal policy platform, and the respect of her peers. Palin has been the mayor of a teensy town of 6,000 (she was also her town's representative at the Miss Alaska pageant once... how much competition could she have really had?). She has "fought corruption" in Alaska, a state still plagued by it, while perhaps perpetuating the tradition with her cavalier attempts to fire her sister's state trooper ex-husband, as well as the man who refused to fire him. All the woman could think of to talk about today was how her husband is the ultimate man's man and they have made lots of babies. But it's not just Hillary supporters he's going after; it's Republican women who weren't excited about McCain and unlikely to bother voting in November. However, I must say that if I were a Republican woman, I would be insulted... there are many more female conservatives more qualified for the job. No woman wants a female vice president selected merely on the basis that she has ovaries; they want a woman to be chosen because her merits were assessed and she was deemed the most qualified candidate. Palin clearly is not.
Here's the catch, though: for the majority of Americans, I fear that her manly blue-collar husband and good Christian values are enough to trump any questions about her qualifications. I actually know people, family friends from St. Louis, who have regularly put their trust in businesses that turned out to be corrupt or poorly run, solely because "they're good Christians." In their eyes, this apparently implies competence because "God's on their side!" These family friends have lost their home in the mortgage crisis, the husband has lost his money and pride by pursuing risky careers with questionable businesses, and their marriage is in shambles. Yet they continue to vote Republican and probably love this Sarah Palin character. What have the Republicans ever done for them? What have the Republicans ever done for ANY working class people? Nothing. But they'll continue to talk about fishing and moose-hunting and Jesus and babies instead of competent policy, and that's how they win over the masses.
As my mom said today: if McCain and Co. manage to pull out a victory this November, we're going to have to move to a more intelligent country.
I'll give Hillary's supporters some credit, and perhaps John McCain should have, too. Yes, Sarah Palin is a woman. After that, I'm not really sure what she has in common with Hillary Clinton. It's certainly not years of experience, a liberal policy platform, and the respect of her peers. Palin has been the mayor of a teensy town of 6,000 (she was also her town's representative at the Miss Alaska pageant once... how much competition could she have really had?). She has "fought corruption" in Alaska, a state still plagued by it, while perhaps perpetuating the tradition with her cavalier attempts to fire her sister's state trooper ex-husband, as well as the man who refused to fire him. All the woman could think of to talk about today was how her husband is the ultimate man's man and they have made lots of babies. But it's not just Hillary supporters he's going after; it's Republican women who weren't excited about McCain and unlikely to bother voting in November. However, I must say that if I were a Republican woman, I would be insulted... there are many more female conservatives more qualified for the job. No woman wants a female vice president selected merely on the basis that she has ovaries; they want a woman to be chosen because her merits were assessed and she was deemed the most qualified candidate. Palin clearly is not.
Here's the catch, though: for the majority of Americans, I fear that her manly blue-collar husband and good Christian values are enough to trump any questions about her qualifications. I actually know people, family friends from St. Louis, who have regularly put their trust in businesses that turned out to be corrupt or poorly run, solely because "they're good Christians." In their eyes, this apparently implies competence because "God's on their side!" These family friends have lost their home in the mortgage crisis, the husband has lost his money and pride by pursuing risky careers with questionable businesses, and their marriage is in shambles. Yet they continue to vote Republican and probably love this Sarah Palin character. What have the Republicans ever done for them? What have the Republicans ever done for ANY working class people? Nothing. But they'll continue to talk about fishing and moose-hunting and Jesus and babies instead of competent policy, and that's how they win over the masses.
As my mom said today: if McCain and Co. manage to pull out a victory this November, we're going to have to move to a more intelligent country.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
lieberman should not be driving the straight talk express...
... because he's way too crooked, and also because he crashed it: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/08/07/ok-who-gave-joe-the-keys.aspx
That one was definitely giggle-inducing. I would be willing to bet a million dollars that's on "The Daily Show" tonight.
On another note, I can't believe Favre was traded to the Jets! Not that I like the Bucs or anything, but I was rooting for the guy to end up with a playoff contender, not the lame-ass Jets. At least he'll still be wearing green.
And if you haven't seen the Paris Hilton rebuttal to McCain's ridiculous campaign ad, definitely check it out: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d
Maybe the girl does have some redeeming qualities if she has the smart sense of humor necessary to find this idea amusing.
That one was definitely giggle-inducing. I would be willing to bet a million dollars that's on "The Daily Show" tonight.
On another note, I can't believe Favre was traded to the Jets! Not that I like the Bucs or anything, but I was rooting for the guy to end up with a playoff contender, not the lame-ass Jets. At least he'll still be wearing green.
And if you haven't seen the Paris Hilton rebuttal to McCain's ridiculous campaign ad, definitely check it out: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d
Maybe the girl does have some redeeming qualities if she has the smart sense of humor necessary to find this idea amusing.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
playing the race card
Clearly, the McCain campaign is getting a little desperate, if that wasn't obvious enough by the recent slew of negative attack ads: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/mccain-campaign-says-obama-is-playing-the-race-card/index.html?hp
Personally, while I admire his moral uprightness or whatever you want to call it, I think it's time Obama started getting a little dirtier, too. I mean, most people are pretty stupid and have trouble discerning fact from fiction, so the fact remains that smear campaigns work pretty well on the masses. But that's neither here nor there. What struck me about this article was this:
"The McCain campaign’s decision to make the charge now that Mr. Obama was playing the 'race card' comes as it has adopted a far more aggressive, negative posture towards Mr. Obama in recent days, trying to tar him as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared for the presidency with a series of statements by Mr. McCain and a series of negative ads – some of which have been condemned as misleading."
Think they meant to use that word?
Personally, while I admire his moral uprightness or whatever you want to call it, I think it's time Obama started getting a little dirtier, too. I mean, most people are pretty stupid and have trouble discerning fact from fiction, so the fact remains that smear campaigns work pretty well on the masses. But that's neither here nor there. What struck me about this article was this:
"The McCain campaign’s decision to make the charge now that Mr. Obama was playing the 'race card' comes as it has adopted a far more aggressive, negative posture towards Mr. Obama in recent days, trying to tar him as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared for the presidency with a series of statements by Mr. McCain and a series of negative ads – some of which have been condemned as misleading."
Think they meant to use that word?
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