Thursday, June 05, 2008

The Predictable Political Post

The predictable thing to post today would be what a zillion other blogs are posting. Something about Hillary dropping out and the race finally getting down to the two horse contest everyone except Hillary apparently knew was inevitable. As I am trying my hardest to fit in and become a good citizen, here is my predictable post.


Like some bad serial I used to see before the main feature on Saturday afternoon down to the old Senator movie theater on Greenmount, this election has tried to build the tension and keep us on the edge of our seats. But as usual, it is just another old plot rehashed, reworked and offered up as something fresh and new.

Some new twists what with the race thing, but if you close your eyes, the Democrats have done nothing different than they usually do. Look like the scatter brains they are. It will be interesting to see if this herd of cats can be corralled long enough to actually put one of their own in office.

I noticed Ralph "the Spoiler" Nader has coincidentally made the news today also. His influence this election may not have the impact it has in the past, but as we all know, Democrats can and will be distracted by anyone with flashy objects in their hands.

And speaking of predictability. The GOP has not swerved from their tried and true election manifesto. No matter how much they dislike a candidate for his years of not sitting still like a good Republican, as long as he is a registered Republican, they will vote for him. It matters not McCain has been reviled and labeled a RINO for much of his years in public office, his almost overnight conversion to the neo-con mantra has convinced many of the die hard he might not be so bad after all. Proof that getting a Republican elected is more important than anything else. They may leave the booth with a bad taste in their mouth, but "anyone but a Democrat" is rule number one.

So once again, "old v new" will be expected to catch and hold our attention. Once again catch phrases that aim to inspire, inflame, or strike fear will be flung at the population in hopes that their votes will be secured without actually promising to do anything real. I may come off as a sourpuss here, but I find it hard to imagine this election will be anything different than the elections that came before.

The difference though will be who we put in office. There is always a difference. No president has ever followed the game plan that got him elected. Events, personal agendas, and the crew he hires to do his dirty work will always fill each term with surprises no one could have predicted. At least in the first term anyway. 2nd terms do seem to end up as bad sequels to the first.

I'm throwing my not so considerable influence to the Obama camp. There are a multitude of reasons, but two big ones will do here. One, he is black. It is time we showed ourselves we can get past this stupid race thing, even if only for a few years. Two, McCain lost my support the moment he began sucking up to the Party Elders and stopped being one of the few thorns they had left. He proved he is all hat and no cattle.

Barack is not trying to prove he is someone other than who he is. McCain is working hard at proving he is someone he isn't.

7 comments:

Dawn Fortune said...

Interesting how we came to the same conclusion, but through very different routes. Yes, Democrats can tend to be scattered and easily distracted, but honestly, I prefer that to marching in lock-step because I've been ordered to do so. So it is with thinking, intelligent people. We do not respond well to phrases like "because I said so." We want reasons, and we want reasons we can believe in.

McSame scares the crap out of me. He is renowned for his red-faced, profanity-laden, rage-filled tirades, and we've all read the report about what he's called his wife. I don't want that guy anywhere near anything like a red button. Obama may be cerebral to the point of detriment, but he won't get us blown up by accident in his first week in office.

I have heard it said that when your favorite tool is a hammer, all problems look like nails. So it is with McSame. His favorite tool is military force, so he thinks that is the best solution to all international problems. He is still fighting the Vietnam war. God in heaven, we don't need that mentality in the White House!

amidnightrider said...

I am also in the Obama camp. McCain talks of being a maverick but has always been in lock step with the conservatives.

America learned a hard lesson with Reagan/Bush and went to our liberal roots for eight years with Clinton. We have again learned our lesson with Bush/Cheney and maybe this time it will stick.

Democrats get things done and America is a great place to hang out under their rule. Republicans get in office, screw everything up and Americans fight with each other.

If we can get the press (that we lost in 1980) back, Americans can again feel safe, secure and confident in our government. No more of the constant barage of "be afraid, be very afraid".

The bigger picture is the cabinet and staff. No more Rice, Rumfelds, Brownies, Bernie Kerricks et all. We can look forward to competence, honesty and intelligence returning to Washington.

In time we can reorganize the Supreme Court and overrule the graft collecting justices who are trying to change the constitution to match their personal adjendas.

January 19th (my birthday) will be the best one I can remember because it's also the last day Jr. will be in office.

Scribbit said...

I used to get so interested in politics and so worked up over it in younger years (not that there are that many of them between then and now) but now I have the hardest time not being so cynical about politics. It seems so hard to find anyone who really represents what I think and then has any integrity--I used to think that perhaps our local politics were immune from the scandals but even that has been proven wrong the past couple years. It's wrong to be apathetic and cynical but I find myself slipping into that rut with each new scandal and corruption uncovered. I'm usually a Republican but not happy with the candidates I'm being offered, I'm usually conservative but that isn't helping anything right now. I don't trust Hillary--her past is too much there--and I don't think Obama has meaning behind the nice sounding words. It's funny to read the one comment about McCain being in step with the conservatives because that's the complaint I hear among friends who are also Republicans, that McCain really isn't a conservative at all but very liberal. Huckabee terrified me and Romney was only OK--I had some things that just didn't sit right there. I wonder if more people are feeling the way I do or if it's just me.

Anonymous said...

I used to care. I even used to work for the politicians and I even garnered a few prime jobs because of my ability to kiss ass while remaining upright.

But now? Now I just look the other way while mumbling "we are going to hell in a handbasket".

Demeur said...

dawn
You're correct the republicans have not an ounce of decorum left. McCain " bomb bomb bomb Iran". Also called his wife the C word. Just a wonderful individual.
midnight
The press and MSM has sided with the republicans since 911. Nothing this admin has done has been reported as out of line even while it violates our constitution.
scribbit
Maybe it's time to switch parties. You've seen all the crimes the present misadministration has gotten away with. Can you really support preemtive wars and a bad economy because the neocons are a bunch of greedy old men? War has become their Viagra and money and power is their reward.
dana
There's always local politics.

Gary ("Old Dude") said...

Dana mentions, local politics---just this last tuesday voted in a local state wide election---approximately something less the 20% percent of the eligible voters did so. In our last national election, a fantastic 42% of the eligible votes voted----wake up America---its over, welcome to the late great USA---if your old enough you can remember its finest hours---and also the slow slide into oblivion we got now.
No where in the run up to the november elections (which has been going on since the last presidential election)--has any of the candidates come forth with any position papers that wern't just designed to be media 30 second sound bites to promoote instant poll results in their favor.
Its standard Presidential year media Hype---"blue staters" vs "red staters"---the media needs to "sell" the news, negative is good, positive doesn't sell the news, controvery is to be exploited, nice guys finish last---ask yourselves a question, just "WHO" is backing who in this election and why ??

SaraVsSara said...

EXACTLY!