Queer · and · Loathing · in · America

And yes, I full recognize and acknowledge that could be construed as a sexist remark. So be it.

Frankly, I was relieved she didn't come across as the unfocused, slightly demented and out of touch boob that appeared with Katie Couric. Much as I oppose the McCain/Palin ticket, I did not relish the idea of watching her make a fool out of herself in front of the entire world. That would have been painful to watch.

But she didn't say anything. She didn't express how a McCain presidency would be different from the last seven years. She didn't say anything other than talking points that avoided specifics. If the debate had been a drinking game, the word would have been 'maverick,' and everyone would have been shit-faced drunk at 9:30 CST. (Actually, that point would have been reached around 8:20.) She didn't answer the majority of the questions. She said absolutely nothing of substance. And her view that the vice president should have more legislative power? Absolutely chilling given the seven years of Darth Cheney we have all endured. Thank you, Senator Biden, for pointing out that the duties of the vice-president are spelled out in the Constitution--which she clearly hasn't read. And that is also indicative of what her philosophy would be should she ever have to move into the Oval Office; a continuation of the Bush administration's Imperial, and unaccountable to anyone, presidency.

As for style, I will give her credit for that. She played the character of Sarah Palin beautifully (although I still prefer Tina Fey's interpretation; I smell another Emmy for Ms. Fey), down to those folksy, aw-shucks down-home moments (Joe Sixpack, hockey mom, etc--she said everything just about but 'gosh darn it') --which triggered my Hee-Haw honey remark (to which Paul remarked, "I keep waiting for the fence board to hit her in the ass")--that I found, frankly, disturbing as they didn't seem real but part of the act. It didn't ring true to me. And before I am accused of liberal elitism, bear in mind that I am from a rural family and background. My family is the Alabama version of the Palins. I spent five years in rural Kansas. I know small town people. I know the lower middle class. And I know pandering when I see it. I also find the reference to a segment of our population as "Joe Sixpack" deeply offensive and condescending no matter WHO it comes from. First of all, the vast majority of the rural folk I grew up and around didn't drink beer, or anything alcoholic, for that matter.

It's almost as though she is trying to become the living embodiment of that Gretchen Wilson song "Redneck Woman." And I'm sorry, we've already done the good ole boy thing for the last seven years--which hasn't gotten us very far.

I am also sick to death of that 'they hate us for our freedoms' bullshit. They don't. They hate us for our imperialism, and to suggest otherwise shows a clear lack of vision and understanding of foreign policy; the exact same mentality that has gotten us into this horrible mess we are in now.

I'm also sick to death of the Republican whining about the mainstream media. Newsflash: you've been whining about it for over thirty years now. If you truly believe that, then give up your whining and accept it for a reality and deal with it. You're running for public office, and dealing with the media and whatever biases it may have is part of the parcel. You don't want to deal with it? Don't run for office. Period.

I'm also sick to death of the Republicans whining about partisanship. Who helped create the partisan bullshit in Washington? From 2001-2007, the Republicans had a monopoly on the White House and Congress, and we saw just how willing they were to reach across the aisle and come up with bipartisan solutions to the problems we all face. Nope, the Democrats are partisan monsters unwilling to work with Republicans who, now that they are in the minority in Congress, are whining "Can't we all just get along?" The Democratic majority has been willing to work with the Republicans far more so than the converse in the previous six years--with the end result that Congress has the lowest approval ratings in remembered history.

The Republican unwillingness to work across the aisle is exactly why they became a Congressional minority.

The essence of American politics has always been bipartisanship and compromise. All one has to do is read histories of the convention that created and ratified our Constitution to understand what the founding fathers had in mind.

The inability, or unwillingness, to work together to come up with solutions resulted in some of the greatest disasters in our history. The Civil War, anyone?

Last night's debate did nothing to ease any worries I might have had about the McCain/Palin ticket winning. Instead, it rather emphasized the urgent need for them to lose. It will be more of the same. The same failed policies on everything. The same 'we don't have to listen to the majority of the population because we're right and you're wrong' mentality.

I will give Governor Palin a great deal of credit. Her three month audition for a talk show on Fox got a great deal better.

And one last comment I made while listening to one of her answers: "This sounds like a beauty pageant speech."

That's me, sexist to the last.

Current Location:	my desk
Current Mood:	contemplative
Current Music:	Say You Will by Fleetwood Mac