Politics, what else?

October 7, 2008

Okay, I’m lazy. Get over it. Please.

The second presidential debate is on right now. I should be giving it my undivided attention, but I find political speeches, debates and other such things very painful to watch and listen. I will try to leave it on, but may record it to pick though later.

It is incredibly dismaying to see what is going on in this country right now. The dirty politics, which were supposed to be absent this time around, are here again. I can see why McCain wanted Palin as a running mate. She is supremely ambitious and happy to do anything and everything necessary to win. And, that has crept into McCain’s modus operandi. It’s scary.

There are no filters (no pun intended) built in that would prevent the willingness to incite violence. I’m not kidding. One only needs to watch the stump speeches to know they are using the same tactics used by white supremacists when targeting African-Americans or any other non-white group. Catch words and phrases spoken over and over again to incite hatred and fear, and maybe violence. Haven’t there been criminal proceedings brought against people that use those tactics?

Another thing that scares me is the desire by so many to have someone that will be next in line to the White House that says “also, too” and compares herself with Joe Sixpack on a regular basis. First, she is insulting Joe Sixpack, consistently implying that Joe is uneducated and can understand only the simplest ideas and is interested in nothing but beer. I come from a blue collar background, and I am offended by it.

I want someone who is smart. We’ve had almost eight years of the king of underachievement. This country has already lost status, respect and is losing her heart. We need someone who is cool under pressure, understands the concepts, and who will surround himself with intelligent people that are putting the country, and not their hip pockets, first. It is vitally important that the next president can talk with world leaders without anger or threats. We must heal the relationships with friends and bring our enemies around without threatening war. A hot head dealing with hot heads does not bode well for a good outcome.

In a previous post, I said that Hillary Clinton would be a better candidate than Barack Obama. Senator Obama has proven to me that he is a solid, intelligent and capable man. He has been composed and articulate under extremely difficult situations. He has chosen a worthy running mate in Senator Biden, someone who knows foreign policy and has a wealth of other knowledge and experience.

There are accusations that the Obama campaign has launched smear attacks on McCain and Palin. Since it seems that every point made by the Democrats can be backed up by video and other public records, I think the accusations are without merit.

The same cannot be said for the McCain campaign. The man who very recently stated, on camera, that he would not stoop to such tactics has apparently forgotten his promise. What other promises would he forget?