Monday, October 20, 2008
Former Secretary Colin Powell
The reasons that Powell has professed to be in support of Obama and opposed to the Republican party ring true to me. I feel that the Bush administration has tottered very near to power abuse if such an accusation cannot be stated in full assurance. The Republican party has been leaning some odd ways under W's Presidency and away from what I heard someone on the radio today call Republican Values. If small government is no longer a Republican Value, limited government is and Bush has been leaning far toward a totalitarianism. W's view of how a military should be allocated has not been satisfactory. I do think that Republicans can be lovers of liberty, but they have been found way too much in bed with the corporations.
That said, I think, as I've said here before somewhere, that both parties are guilty of pandering the radical extremes of their respective parties. Republicans have leaned far too right and Democrats have leaned far too left. Both parties are also guilty of fascism at this point. If our economy needed a boost from our government (especially in light of what other world governments are doing), then something should've been done, but the government owning major shares in our banks is against everything our constitution stands for... and I don't know how so many leaders in Washington could think that it is a good thing for freedom to be traded in times of trail for security.
I would like to say that I still intend to vote for McCain. I don't like what the Republican Party has been doing lately. The election theory is, at best, behind the times. I think that both McCain and Palin should've been allowed to showcase the parts of their personalities that have made them popular enough to be nominated for president, instead of turning to tactics that are obviously in contrast with the kinds of things that they appeared to stand for before. The hypocrisy of the situation is not lost on voters, and definitely not lost on the media. The same thing happened to Bob Dole (not that he would've necessarily defeated Clinton in 1996). Dole is a funny, charismatic politician, and that's what won him the nomination, but his personality had to be overshadowed during the campaign by attack ads. I don't mean to say that there isn't a place for some kinds of attack, but the Republican Party doesn't seem to understand how to appeal to the undecided voter in their media campaigns, and at the center of that problem is the way they seem to think that these personalities that were charismatic enough to win the nomination, are not strong enough to be showcased for the final showdown. I do have to cede that the Democratic party knows how to run a campaign, but I can't let that alone sway my vote.
At the end of the day, the next president is going to have a big mess to clean up and I'm just not impressed by the way Sen. Obama intends to do that. I think McCain has a level head and that he really is interested in rooting out corruption. I think most Americans would agree that fighting corruption would be the best thing for our country right now and I think that if voters were to stop and think about it, that the majority don't want radical left solutions. Just because the pendulum has swung one way doesn't mean that it should swing as far the other way. Moderation really is the key to this. Also, Obama, as typical Democrat, is also a fan of bigger government, to the point that he feels that the government should take care of health care. I know that capitalism has its drawbacks. No economic system is the perfect system, but we can't take advantage of moments of the weaknesses inherent in the system to change gears and start aiming toward more Totalitarian or Socialist or Fascist tendencies. There are problems in our insurance/health care systems right now, but taking them out of private hands and letting the government have more power over our lives is not what we need.
Now I remember why I was so jaded after the last presidential election. I'm still planning to vote for McCain, but I have lost the stars from my eyes.
We're far too corrupt to ever have a savior on Capital Hill .
That said, I think, as I've said here before somewhere, that both parties are guilty of pandering the radical extremes of their respective parties. Republicans have leaned far too right and Democrats have leaned far too left. Both parties are also guilty of fascism at this point. If our economy needed a boost from our government (especially in light of what other world governments are doing), then something should've been done, but the government owning major shares in our banks is against everything our constitution stands for... and I don't know how so many leaders in Washington could think that it is a good thing for freedom to be traded in times of trail for security.
I would like to say that I still intend to vote for McCain. I don't like what the Republican Party has been doing lately. The election theory is, at best, behind the times. I think that both McCain and Palin should've been allowed to showcase the parts of their personalities that have made them popular enough to be nominated for president, instead of turning to tactics that are obviously in contrast with the kinds of things that they appeared to stand for before. The hypocrisy of the situation is not lost on voters, and definitely not lost on the media. The same thing happened to Bob Dole (not that he would've necessarily defeated Clinton in 1996). Dole is a funny, charismatic politician, and that's what won him the nomination, but his personality had to be overshadowed during the campaign by attack ads. I don't mean to say that there isn't a place for some kinds of attack, but the Republican Party doesn't seem to understand how to appeal to the undecided voter in their media campaigns, and at the center of that problem is the way they seem to think that these personalities that were charismatic enough to win the nomination, are not strong enough to be showcased for the final showdown. I do have to cede that the Democratic party knows how to run a campaign, but I can't let that alone sway my vote.
At the end of the day, the next president is going to have a big mess to clean up and I'm just not impressed by the way Sen. Obama intends to do that. I think McCain has a level head and that he really is interested in rooting out corruption. I think most Americans would agree that fighting corruption would be the best thing for our country right now and I think that if voters were to stop and think about it, that the majority don't want radical left solutions. Just because the pendulum has swung one way doesn't mean that it should swing as far the other way. Moderation really is the key to this. Also, Obama, as typical Democrat, is also a fan of bigger government, to the point that he feels that the government should take care of health care. I know that capitalism has its drawbacks. No economic system is the perfect system, but we can't take advantage of moments of the weaknesses inherent in the system to change gears and start aiming toward more Totalitarian or Socialist or Fascist tendencies. There are problems in our insurance/health care systems right now, but taking them out of private hands and letting the government have more power over our lives is not what we need.
Now I remember why I was so jaded after the last presidential election. I'm still planning to vote for McCain, but I have lost the stars from my eyes.
We're far too corrupt to ever have a savior on Capital Hill .
Labels: Barack Obama, Colin Powell, George W. Bush, John McCain
Friday, October 03, 2008
Stupid Politics
The other day, my wife and I noticed that Sarah Palin reminds us of my mother-in-law, who happens to be a big fan of the governor. She doesn't look like Palin, especially, but they have similar personalities and expressions. At first it seemed a little eerie that she would be voting for "herself," but it occurred to me that we all do that, to some extent. On some level, we want the winner of the election to be the one who believes the most like us so that s/he will make the decisions that we would make in his/her position, if we had all the information that s/he would have. And some people will vote for Obama because he is black like they are, and some people will vote against him because he is black and they are not. Polls seem to indicate that the McCain campaign got a real jolt when he announced Palin as his VP, and it seems probably that some people will vote for her because she is a woman (and there are some very conservative people who don't know what to do because they don't want to vote for a woman or Obama). We want to vote for a candidate that remind us of ourselves, especially on our best days. That's why good speakers like JFK are so enrapturing: we want to be like them, that determined and optimistic, even if we are actually cynical. And that's why politics is so personal: we identify with our candidates on some kind of intimate level, and when people dismiss that candidate, it is easy to take it as a personal affront.
I hate how things get every four years at about this time. I have enjoyed listening to NPR with some regularity for the past two years, but right around election time, I just want to punch reporters in the face. I really don't believe in our government. I feel like voting for politicians is just stating who I think will keep screwing up the government less. And definitely, on some level, I'm taking things personally. I have the control not to say anything and to realize that what I'm thinking is untrue, but I find myself joining in the fray of thinking that anyone who doesn't agree with me must be a complete moron instead of a reasonable, thoughtful person who has come to a different conclusion than I have.
Not as any kind of taunt, or because I think the candidate I intend to vote for is so wonderful, but for the sake of our country:
may the best man win.
I hate how things get every four years at about this time. I have enjoyed listening to NPR with some regularity for the past two years, but right around election time, I just want to punch reporters in the face. I really don't believe in our government. I feel like voting for politicians is just stating who I think will keep screwing up the government less. And definitely, on some level, I'm taking things personally. I have the control not to say anything and to realize that what I'm thinking is untrue, but I find myself joining in the fray of thinking that anyone who doesn't agree with me must be a complete moron instead of a reasonable, thoughtful person who has come to a different conclusion than I have.
Not as any kind of taunt, or because I think the candidate I intend to vote for is so wonderful, but for the sake of our country:
may the best man win.
Labels: JFK, politics, Sarah Palin, vote
