Before I get into the heart of this post, I want to reiterate that I do not support either major party candidate for the presidency. In fact, after researching all of the announced candidates, not a one of them passed my muster. Ergo, I have no partisan angle to offer in what I'm about to say.
It's been an interesting week watching the media promote John McCain and Caribou Barbie as if only these two were running in a Soviet-style election. I'm sure that McCain would love a 99.9% vote total!
But tonight wasn't about McCain. It was Obama's night with the presentation of his infomercial and the termination of a relatively quiet period in this campaign. Both Obama and Biden now have to regain the media coverage they surrendered in what has to have been a mistaken strategy to boost their sagging polling numbers relative to McCain.
This isn't to say that Obama is in the process of losing. But as has been the case for most of the presidential elections since Reagan's reelection, the polling numbers are being reported as closing. Whether they are or not will remain for the historians to determine.
If Obama's team was hoping for a knockout punch coming from the infomercial, they miscalculated badly. I didn't see or hear anything I haven't prior to tonight's presentation, and certainly nothing to put paid to McCain's efforts. It's as if Obama's team is back to the place they were toward the close of the primary - unable to "close the deal". If enough people come to this conclusion as I have, then McCain is the beneficiary of tonight's program.
But there is this certain problem which both candidates share in my mind. Neither one has demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that they deserve selection as president by the people of this nation. Neither one is fielding a winning team, just OK ones. Considering the problems facing this nation, mediocre isn't going to cut the mustard much less the deficit. And - considering the likely medical problems McCain faces - neither can Palin when she takes over as she likely will.
Anyone paying attention to the world's reaction to the recent raid into Syria knows that America has lost the assumption to leadership. No - thrown it away is more truthful. We have lost the trust of the world that we will do the right thing, so they are vying among themselves to rise to the top. Nicholas Sarkozy has scored some points in the EU dealing with the current economic crash prior to George Bush attempting to steal his thunder. China is waging a public relations assault on the image of the dollar, and Russia is slowly seeking to supplant the US as the dominant military power.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Matthew T. Sussman
"The Obamercial McCain't Move Me"
So you're just Biden your time since they both Palin comparison, Barring aNader candidate shows up?
Um, McKinney.
2 - Nick
How was Obama "unable to 'close the deal'" to be the Democratic nominee? He made it mathematically impossible for Hillary to win long before she dropped out. Not to mention that, lo and behold, he's the Democratic nominee. Not shocking Obama's not elected before the election. And by the way, his campaign's "sagging poll numbers" have a black man up by 6-12 points for the Presidency of the United States.
The media wants a close horserace, to the point where Politico's bemoaning that, gosh darnit, Obama's not messing up enough for them to be even-handed in coverage of campaign errors.
He's raised record amounts of donations, 95% of which are $100 or less. He's inspired a record amount of newly registered voters. What President, uninflated by the distortions of time and rose-colored glasses, WOULD pass your muster?
I disagree with Obama on several issues (FISA, the role of faith & the role of faith-based initiatives, for three) but he was prescient about the mortgage crisis and the Iraq War, the two major factors that have the US losing the "trust of the world."
I only read your sad blog to see if the forced, pathetic title was a ironic. Who knew your entire article would be the joke.
3 - Nick
? Next time you might consider laying out your specific problems with each candidate's stance on even one issue. Listing America's huge mistakes and challenges, then saying the candidates don't "cut the mustard" isn't informative or helpful.
4 - Ruvy
Perhaps the Realist is disappointed that neither candidate seems willing to honestly confess that there is a real problem with the US of A.
Neither candidate is willing to say to the people of the US "we spent too much, we didn't think, we killed needlessly, we wasted our resources on nonsense." Neither candidate has the humility to say that because of the staggering debt you Americans live under, neither he nor his opponent can do much at all. They both peddle illusions, seeking to fool you all one more time. Neither candidate has the sense to say, "we sinned" and name the sin.
The man who starts from there is the true leader.
Obama may win - it appears that this election is his to lose. If permited to assume the presidency, he will not say "we sinned" either. You will spend your days hearing the mellifluous tones and empty (but seemingly inspiring) words of a failed messiah.
The "change" will be that you will no longer hear the assertions of the "idiot-in-chief". Obama is extremely intelligent. But he is not capable of pulling you all out the morass that 60 years of deliberate financial mismanagement has gotten you into. He is neither that smart, nor that motivated.
He is a Chicago politician of the old school, a smooth liar who will make you think you will get a chicken in your pot.
But when it comes time to serve the meal, there will only be a tasteless broth.
McCain may be sincere. But a man who flies one plane after another into the ground will only do the same to America - if he survives long enough to. Will Palin's sharp tongue and defiance carry you all through tough crises? Maybe - if she is humble enough to admit from the gitgo that the States is a government of sinners, and that it has been governed by robber barons fo the last 60 years. Frankly, I do not think that Caribou Barbie is that well bottomed a woman (I wonder how many of you reading this really understands what "well bottomed" means here). In all truth, I'm not sure that such a woman exists in American politcs at all today.
While others are out voting, I suggest you stock up on canned goods, flour, water, sugar, generators and generally prepare for disaster. That is what is coming your way.
5 - Arch Conservative
The Obama candidacy is the biggest hoax that has eceb been perpetrated on the American people and unfortunately it looks like it's going to succeed.
But who knows for how long. That's another question to be answered another day.
6 - Christopher Rose
I thought the biggest hoax perpetrated on the American (actually, US) people is that they live in the land of the free - as opposed to one of the most bureaucratic countries I've ever visited. The USA could give Spain a run for its money with regard to red tape and all round interference...
7 - Lisa Solod Warren
Fine. Don't vote, Realist.
I don't know, Christopher. I lived in France for two years. They LOVE their red tape. They really really do:)
8 - Christopher Rose
I think the French copied it from the Spanish, Lisa!
9 - Lisa Solod Warren
Oh, dear, Christopher, don't let the French hear you say they copied anythingn from anyone!:)
10 - Christopher Rose
Lisa, I think the French are so bolshie exactly because they copy so much. Why, even their language is just a dialect of Spanish! :-))
11 - zingzing
and where does our language come from, chris?
i have to think that you probably ran into a lot of red tape because yer a damn furriner. i'm sure it's become relatively easy to move around europe after the creation of the e.u.
of course there are things about the u.s. that are stupid, lots of them... all i'm saying is that you were probably aware of stuff that most of us, as citizens, would never have to deal with.
that said, i found living in england to be fairly pain free. except bars closing at 11. i know you can go to a club if you want to keep drinking, but, you know, a bar's a bar and a club's a club, and sometimes you just want to be at the bar. what's up with that, eh? 11... that's downright unamerican. of england.
12 - Lisa Solod Warren
French and Spanish and both romance language. I actually find French much more beautiful. Despite the red tape the the "bolshieness" I adored living in France and would do it again in a heartbeat. OTOH I also liked living in England. As much as I love the US of A, I am, perhaps because of my weird genetic make-up, at ease in the world and can and have lived several places. Who knows where I will end up? Especially if the election does not end up as I hope it will?
13 - zingzing
i have a serious question that i am actually searching for the answer to. so if someone (conservative) could actually give me an honest response, that would be nice...
if, say, obama gets elected, where would all the conservatives say they were moving?
as in, when bush got elected, all us lefties said "i'm goin to canada." or europe. or elsewhere.
now, where would conservatives go? is there a country on this earth that conservatives actually respect enough to be willing to live there, as an antidote to what america has become?
canada's out, europe's out, most of central and south america is impossible, mexico is full of mexicans, russia is evil, africa is... africa, australia is too european...
maybe australia... it's possible. but i'm sure that would leave a bitter taste in their mouth. israel is also a possibility, but they wouldn't want you there and you also only like israel because you dislike palestine..
so where?
14 - zingzing
and i can foresee someone saying "we, as conservatives, would never leave this great country because we don't like how it is right now... we would fight to return it to our values, etc. because unlike you coward liberals, we would make a stand instead of running off to mommy europe."
(of course, i, and most of us liberals, stayed right here...)
and dan(miller) has no say.
15 - Clavos
mexico is full of mexicans
Sorta like what's most wrong with the USA; it's full of all you arrogant, smug, asshole gringos...
16 - zingzing
oh, shut the hell up clavos.
i was asking a serious question.
who's being arrogant and smug and an asshole? for fuck's sake...
17 - Dan(Miller)
Zingzing, and dan(miller) has no say. Ok. I will accept that on faith. I guess.
Dan(Miller)
Lurches silently into bedroom for a mid-day nap.
18 - Lisa Solod Warren
Sorta like what's wrong with the USA; it's full of you ignorant, selfish, greedy Americans.
There! Fixed it for you, Clavos.
(Zing. WHY do you try? You KNOW he really doen't give a shit)
19 - zingzing
well, i'm not just asking clavos.
it's actually a serious question. i couldn't help myself with the "mexico is full of mexicans" and "africa is... africa" bits. but the rest (well, most) of it is actually quite serious.
i'd really like to hear a conservative response to the question.
seriously. please.
20 - Clavos
I'm not moving anywhere -- seriously.
OK, gringo?
21 - zingzing
i'm not asking you to. i'm asking you (well, not really you...) to think about the question and come up with a hypothetical response. IF you were going to move, WHERE would that be?
and what's with this "gringo" shit? moon rubbing off on you?
you're really being a prick to me today, and i haven't done a damn thing to deserve it, other than being a liberal. so grow up.
22 - Clavos
who's being arrogant and smug and an asshole? for fuck's sake...
You, with the remark about Mexico being full of Mexicans.
BTW, unless you figure out a way to stop us, in a few years we WILL be the largest single ethnic group in the USA.
Start studying Spanish, gringo.
23 - zingzing
um... wait a minute. is moon commenting under clavos' name?
and you know as well as i do that "mexico is full of mexicans" is a reason why conservatives would not move there (at least in my liberal mind). certainly, it's not meant to be nice to conservatives. but i shouldn't have said it if i wanted to get a serious answer out of a conservative.
so strike it. i still think a lot of conservatives would have issues with moving to mexico.
the weather's even a bit too warm for me down there.
but i have no problem with mexicans. in fact, i live in a predominantly latin-american neighborhood. which is kinda like saying "i have several homosexual friends," i know... but i'm quite used to hearing (and communicating, a little) in spanish.
24 - troll
New Zealand
25 - zingzing
hrm. new zealand has been leaning towards the right as of late... but not enough to make it a conservative country.