Living in Portland, OR it's hard to imagine John McCain winning the presidential election. The lawns, windows and cars of Portland are littered with pro-Obama paraphenalia and I can safely say that any bar in town will be filled with sneers and jeers aimed at Palin during the debate tomorrow night.
But I'm not immune to reality. There is a whole country out there filled with scary things like cities that don't recycle (gasp!!!), "parks" made of cement and, Lord help us, people who will vote for John McCain - or should I say Sarah Palin.
This is the first time in my life (sad, I know) that I have paid any attention to politics. It's usually easy to be moderately informed when it comes to presidential elections, but I've just never been interested. My excuse was that I didn't want to vote for either candidate since they were both obviously shady and neither would do any good for the country. That and the thought that my voting wouldn't really change anything (sorry p-diddy/puffy/sean combs I just didn't see anything good to actually vote for).
This election year I see things differently. I see the potential for change. I see a country that is frustrated with it's government and begging for change. I just hope that people will take the time, like me, to educate themselves regarding their options.
Matt Damon, although a tad eccentrically, hit the nail on the head: we should be scared. I AM scared. People are going to vote for McCain and Palin. That's a scary thought.
Here are a few quotes by McCain/Palin supporters (taken at random from typing "pro palin" into google):
"Sarah Palin's one of us. She actually represents the American people.
When The New York Times, CNN, the NBC basket of basket cases and all the barking blog dogs insult Palin, they're insulting us.
When they smear her, they're smearing every American who actually works
for a living, who doesn't expect a handout, who doesn't have a
full-time accountant to parse the family taxes, who believes in the Pledge of Allegiance and who thinks a church is more than just a tedious stop on daughter Emily's 100K wedding day. "
"McCain and Palin are TRUE americans. McCain is all about change throughout his life. He does not need to further his political career. He already has it all."
"She is the biggest threat to the liberals I can think of, and just
watch, the liberal media will have to do everything possible to bring
her down. A lifelong NRA member that fights corruption, supports
drilling, is pro-life, supports her son that signed up on 911 to defend
this country, coaches, hunts, chooses to have a downs syndrome child
and her favorite food is Caribou and Moose Stew. Just compare her to
Hillary and you can see why the liberals are soiling their diapers."
"She justifies what we do
every day. She does what we do, she lives like we do. She's just as
flawed as we are. There are more American parents with unwed pregnant
teenage children than American parents with Harvard graduates. She's
real."
Here is what scares me about these quotes:
I am "one of us". So are you. Do you think that you would be able to run the country? I certainly wouldn't. Just like I wouldn't want a barista representing me in court. At least I have the humility to admit my lack of experience and knowledge when it comes to the national political scene. If you really want the media to portray you as "Joe six-pack" (which is what Palin called herself when referring to her situation in the financial crisis), then BE that. She makes 250,00+ a year with at least that much in retirement and savings. Do you? I certainly don't.
The issue that perplexes me the most about McCain/Palin supporters is the fact that Palin has 5 children, one of whom is not even a year old. How can you support her holding a position that will certainly interfere with her being a responsible and attentive mother? Even if you throw out the facts that the youngest has special needs
and, if she is the upstanding, Christian mother that she claims to be,
her daughter is going to need a lot of guidance in raising a child at
17 years old. I work 40 hours a week at a University and devote an average of 10 hours a week to hobbies/obligations and there's no way that I have enough time to responsibly raise a child. I barely have enough time for my 2 cats, 3 chickens and failing garden. Any mother who honestly thinks Palin can emotionally support 5.5 children and be VP of this country is living in a fantasy world. It's irresponsible and I'm shocked that the Republican party, waving their pro-life, family first, Christian values flag would ask someone with her parental responsibilites to even consider running for VP. Don't agree? Take a basic psychology class, you'll see just how much impact our parents, or lack of, have on us.
With all that said (and trust me, I'd love to say more...a lot more) I will agree with McCain supporters, we don't know what Obama will do in office. He doesn't have a voting record that dates back to 1982 like McCain does. But he does have a record. He has voted. With a 1 in 4 chance that McCain wont live through a 4 year term you have to look, once again, at Palin. What's her record? Oh right, she doesn't have one.
Obviously I am anti-McCain and on a personal level feel that his choice of Palin embodies all that is wrong with this country. You may read this and dismiss my opinion because I don't have political chops.....yet, but I am a human being and, like all of us, I do have a moral compass. So in my "average American" opinion, when one candidate does nothing but point fingers and make snippy remarks while the other is willing to humbly admit that he agrees with some of his opponents arguments, it's not hard for my compass to decide.
If you really are voting for "someone like us", you should take stock. Are you the person who takes the moral highground or are you 'Joe six-pack'?
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