During last night’s debate, John McCain continued to define his status as a maverick who stands apart, by sounding the alarm and warning us not a moment to soon, that the very fabric of democracy was in danger of being torn apart. Because of voter apathy, our democracy is not what it could be,surely though it is strong enough to resist the stress that tests. It is not in danger of being destroyed, least of all by a small band of rogues.
En route to becoming an overnight sensation and some sort of symbol, a guy called “Joe the Plumber” was mentioned by Mr. McCain more than twenty times. Today we found out that his name is actually Samuel Wurzelbacher and that, though he isn’t recognized as a plumber by the union or licensed as a plumber by the state, he does happen to work for a plumbing company. In the wake of Governor Palin’s nomination, no one accuses the McCain camapign overly vetting the people it chooses to represent them.
Things truly took a desperate turn when Senator McCain turned reports of outbursts at his own rallies around on the Democratic Presidential nominee, and damanded that Obama “repudiate“, recent “hurtful” comments, by Senator John Lewis. McCain went on to claim that both candidates need to “absolutely not stand the kinds of things that have been going on”, forgetting how things had gone on at his own events, while he just stood there and winced.
The Arizona Senator came across like curmudgeonly Grandpa Simpson in response to a question about Joe Biden. He praised Biden and condemned him, before the solidifying his own image as an angry old man by using the word “cockamamie“. Intrigued my McCain’s use of a term that sounds nothing but ironic when uttered by anyone under seventy, I discovered it’s origin is in the word word decalomania, which was an art form that was popular in the United States during the late 1800’s. Cockamamie, the slang term that derived, last saw wide usage in this country about forty years ago during the 1960’s.
The pariotism of John McCain remains unchallenged because he endured more than five years in a cell during the Vietnam War at the hands of merciless captors. For his service to this country we all owe Mr. McCain a debt of gratitude. The time he spent in that cell, though it could be used as an explanation for Mr. McCain’s unwillingness to adopt any viewpoint other the his own, even for perspective, is a testament to Mr. McCains immovable courage and sense of duty to his country. John McCain’s time as a POW is also one of the reasons that he does not have either the temperament or the decision making skills to be the President of the United States during a time when this country needs someone who comes across as steady, even handed and rational.
“When you feel you have had it up to here, cause you mad enough to scream, and you sad enough to tear.” -from the song Rock Bottom by Eminem
Who didn’t see it coming? John McCain, a cagey twenty-six year veteran of Washington D.C. , is not afraid to go low. Last night he proved that, like an old school brawler who senses the end if he cannot catch his breath, he is a win at all cost kind of guy.
Short gasps audible through the microphone punctuated what Senator McCain had to say throughout the night, including when he tersely dismissed Senator Obama as “that one”. Mr. Obama’s expression was a combination of offense, forgiveness, and a complete lack of surprise, exactly the way I imagine Jesus would look in the same situation.
Down talking to someone is a tricky business, but when an old white man is codescending toward a bright, young black man, while being nationally televised on all three networks and the cable news channels, the going can prove especially perilous. A million years ago when McCain started his Washington career, it may have been the norm to polarize people along racial divides, but these days it does not fly in most places.
A girl that I knew back in California posted an video of some dudes who call themselves The Obama Youth on her facebook page, and declared that it was one of the most frightening things she had ever seen online. In it some young black fellows, dressed in camoflage pants and matching navy blue tee shirts stomp/march into the room chanting “Alpha/Omega” before arranging themselves into an orderly line. One after another they declare that because of Obama they are inspired to be the next “doctor, lawyer, automotive technician, chef, architect, engineer,” etc., you get the jist. At the end they all do a little yes we can cheer, combined with some synchronized movement, then a little cheer about health care, then it’s over.
Out on the campaign trail right now the GOP candidate and his running mate are whipping their conservative supporters up into a frenzy accusing Senator Obama of being a socialist who, “doesn’t see America”, as you and I do. Over on Wall Street the market is sinking like a zeppelin made of lead and Republican champions of small government cannot print the money, to prop the economy up, fast enough.
Fear is a sublime motivator, but fear can also be misplaced and exploited, so that reality becomes less important than the preconceived notions that create our frame of reference. When we deny our fears it creates a mindset where hope can begin to take root and grow. Though fear has the ability to make people jump suddenly, hope can provide the motivation to endure the unspeakable.
Never in my lifetime has the choice been so clearly defined as we head into the polls. On the one hand I can vote because I am afraid of what will happen. On the other hand I can vote because of what I hope will happen.
This is something that I found that is too cool. More people need to check it out. Cliche action movie dialog is layered with killer classic rock in a way that creates a compelling narrative. This one is a wicked bit of agitprop that is possibly in violation of a multiplicity of copyrights. Attorney / lobbyist / character actor / United States Senator, Fred Thompson features prominently all over this thing.
Bush’s eight years as President really kicked into high gear after 9/11’s big boom and this little dillio does the same. Bullshit braggdocio promises of vengence like the kind that comprise Mr. Bush’s legacy assure us that the bad guys are going down and then…..it’s on! I was all wtf as I sat there for two and half well spent minutes, and then again to make sure. It is true! This joint is rawkin’!
“And it don’t know who’s problem it is, but somebody needs to get their ass on the plane and figure this out!” -Some dude interviewed in New Orleans during the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina.
Let’s not forget that when FEMA finally began figuring the situation out it was three days later, and all hell had broken loose throughout The Big Easy. Michael Brown, the head of FEMA at the time, betrayed his own ignorance of the situation’s gravity, live on CNN. Of course maybe those complainers down at the convention center who chanted, “we need help”, wouldn’t have been so quick to bitch, if they knew the kind help they were going to get.
Trailers eventually provided by FEMA for the families displaced by Katrina’s in discriminant wrath actually turn out to be toxic. It’s true, the plywood in the trailers gives off toxic levels of formaldehyde gas and that is no good for the people who are trying to live inside. It makes them sick. I digress.
“This kind of government knows how to help business to encourage it.” -Indicted. Enron CEO Ken Lay
Royals and the Uber rich know about the the pill and, how at the last minute you can take it to prevent your world from being snatched away. Officially the death certificate says that Ken Lay died from a heart attack, but it is likely that he took his own life, the one he grown accustomed to, to prevent a hostile takeover.
I imagine Ken popping a tiny latch on the locket contained in his signet ring to reveal the pill inside, before he throws his head back and tosses it down his gullet. There would be no more long weekends in Aspen, and no more expense account lunches, but it was on his terms and not theirs.
“This will not be an age of tyranny.” -GWB
Why anyone would want to be President I am not sure. In GW’s case his motivation most likely involved a choice between resistance and a lack there of. In three weeks someone else is going to get the job that makes a President age rapidly in increments proportionate with the perils they are forced to contend with. Regardless of who wins, I hope that the future, former President is right, and that it will not be an “age of tyranny”, the last eight years of that kind of crap was enough.
