So much on my mind concerning Decision 08' in the wake of such a surreal turn of events, it has captivated the attention of anybody following the election.
Since the selection of Sarah Palin for VP on the Republican ticket last friday media coverage has been swallowed up across the board. I don't believe you if you say you haven't tuned in! YOU HAVE!
Most were most probably amused; most were most probably skeptical; most were most probably cynical; and most were moooost prooobably aggitated {In that order, or at one time or another}, and i am speaking for BOTH those on the 'Left', and those on the 'Right'!
Yessir, even the Republican faithful, who have since fell in love with this woman, were initially shocked and confused. What happened to Romney? what happened to Giuliani or Leiberman? What is JohnnyMac doing; who is this woman?
At first it was like one of those bad movies where they pick some nameless person off the street and put them in the white house: Black enough to have disqualified it in our minds (pre-Obama) as a serious film, or 'female' enough to dramatically bump MILF porn up the ranks of google search results.
That morning, as i watched Morning Joe on MSNBC over a cup of (dare i say it??..) Joe (i knooowww.. that was white), i myself began to roll out the predictions. Actually, i wasn't too far off. I had been thinking (WWF, i mean U.S. Style) McCain would try to one-up the Democrats by drafting Condoleeza Rice.
Black/ Female/ Republican; the reactionary answer to the Obama/Clinton machine.
John McCain wasn't going to play it safe for long. While he is an elite member of the Republican Party, and conservative both fiscally and socially (although more fiscally than socially), he has always been that thorn in the side of the Bushs (no pun intended) and against the grain amongst his peers on such matters as immigration, campaign finance, and up until recently abortion.
__And he COULDNT play it safe for long! Couldn't afford to. At the DNC just the night before the Palin pick, Obama came off the top rope and hit him with a flying dizzy! (what the fuck is a flying dizzy?) And having increasingly aligned himself with Bush and Washington (with it's 9% approval), he was hurt!
___________THEN!____________tHaT'S WhEn iT HApPenEd...
McCain began to shake his fists, to quake and shiver at the cheek down on one knee ala Hulk Hogan on the come back; He stood to his feet incrimentally, a limb at a time bringing himself to attention, nose to nose with Obama's machine before waving his fingers a NO in his opponents face, then fired back with a barrage of punches.
- He picks a woman rearing four childen, who is strongly pro-life.
- She is young.
- A woman with four children; one of which is on his way to Iraq!
- A lifetime National Rifle Association member who hunts regularly.
- Someone who has worked as a sports caster and played college basketball.
- The mayor of a small town in Alaska, the state which has the attention of the oil industry for its untapped reserves. And she has a reputation for not only backing drilling, but for having attacked the special interest politicians whove monopolized the oil industry in her own party.
- Another fiscally conservative politician who promises that taxes will be low, and if you want benefits (healthcare, social security in the long run, retirement plans)you pay for them yourself *with the taxes from your check they have promised you you get to keep ALTHOUGH, when they say this it is more a promise to tax payers in the highest bracket than to you, as has been the case over the past 8 years when Bush promised the same and didn't seem to be addressing me (sh1t, taxes come out MY check)
-He elects to postpone the Republican convention, well aware that after Katrina, he was going to have to show some real focus on dealing with the possible disaster. A move that put his party in a positive light, ESPECIALLY considering a job done well.
-He steps back and remains silent in allowing the media attention to marinate on his VP selection. Something new and fresh.
-He makes the decision to let Bush speak at the convention, but is strategic in making that the 1st night, just to get him out of the way, leaving two nights ahead with Palin on the line-up, then him, to drown out any negative taste Bush leaves.
Leading up to the Palin pick McCain's choice to play it close to Bush and his vocal support of Bush's policies was doing him nothing! That day is done for the fat elephant. Anyone left in this country with allegiance to that safe, albeit failed, dynasty threw their support behind Romney (And had he not been a mormon McCain wouldn't have been in the conversation. He barely beat Romney despite the reality that Romney was dead on arrival for those voting from the religious wing.)
McCain all this time HAD a base which he neglected while being woo'd by the old elite. It was the young, independant leaning, libertarian, Ron Paul nation republican who might be gay, might be Black or Latino, might be liberal on moral issues but wish to be left alone when it comes to being taxed for the sake of sustaining federal programs; and who'd rather have decisions coming from local government as opposed to the central federal office. The Palin pick now brings these young voters back into the picture and if anything saves the Republican party from fracturing in future elections, between the old loyal to the ticket, and the young Republican swing vote willing to sway independant.
Was the Palin selection a surface level, image driven political move? You'd better believe it! I mean come on let's be honest here, had the Democrats not come with the anomoly, i find it hard to imagine the Republicans foregoing the field of good ol' old boys to pick a woman. But at the same time... though it hurts me to have to say this.. It was also a political move of great substance for the Republican Party (though not for YOU or ME, like, regular struggling people) exactly for the reasons i stated in the last paragraph.
- It certainly does leave room for attack on the fact that she wasn't vetted and he had only had a short conversation with her, having met her once in his life.
- It does leave room to expose the Republicans for trying to exploit the Hillary swing vote, being condescending in believing women would now vote McCain just because he chose a women VP.
- It leaves room to continue making folks aware that this woman was never in charge of managing legislation over any significantly large base of citizens, and has Zero foreign policy.
BUT, EXACTLY becaaause the choice of Sarah Palin (as much as she fails to represent the needs of poor working class people) IS the neo-conservative prototype these angles dont successfuly discourage Republican swing voters or even Hillary voters, and CERTAINLY NOT traditional Safe Republicans from jumping on the McCain ban wagon.
- The fact that her mantality is conditioned to cater to small town politics; meaning for the most part white, upper middle to upper class. IS IN THE INTEREST of the white, middle to upper class people who will be voting for her reguardless. If she cut taxes Alaska wont have people dying in the street due to a lack of funding for food stamps and health care that people (very often working people) rely on in big cities like NY where middle class salaries dont even match up to the cost of living. Alaska wont have gangs forming, as a big city like NY will, in low income neighborhoods where after-school and recreational programs will be cut (because these are the first things to go when taxes get cut) and more youth dont have an outlet to be as they will, youth!
- The fact that Sarah Palin is a woman with children. IS IN THE INTEREST of pro-life groups that want to abolish abortion. Because it gives them some kind of credible leg to stand on (EVEN IF it means the Republicans are now the ones, as theyve always accused liberals, using Moral Equivalence for the sake of their agenda). For years women have resented the fact that these old men have been imposing upon them reasons why THEY shouldnt have the choice. This disables that argument for many, and now makes it harder to get the masses to recognize that their liberties are being taken away, because it is a woman.
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McCain's choice was actually pretty brilliant for the Republican vote, which i am not hesitant to admit and detail because what it actually means is that the Democrats are in a whole heap of trouble! They are in a whole heap of trouble because they; the Democratic establishment, and the democratic pundits in the media are not addressing it properly!
They expose the fact that Sarah Palin has a 17 year old daughter who is pregnent, yet frame it in a shallow tabloid kind of way. They fail to draw the connections in making the point that Sarah Palin's daughter can afford to be a pregnant teen because she is well off. And that while teens will be teens, like the daughter of Sarah Palin, and make bad decisions thus some will get pregnant, the majority of teens that get pregnant are from families with little education, from areas where teen pregnancy is a problem. Where cutting taxes that will provide programs to give these teens an outlet (which Palin will do) will result in higher levels of pregnancy. And they fail to then draw the connection to abortion. And how if you are going to cut inner city programing, then abolish to right to make the choice of abortion, you are increasing the chances that the level of poverty will increase. That young mothers without the priveledge of Sarah Palin's daughter will struggle to care for their children, and with the unemployment rate now at 6.1% (a four and a half year high) and rising over the past year, with jobs leaving and young fathers and mothers resorting to crime to make money, jails filling, and now jail hardened 'çriminals' cycling in and out of jail to be the example for future generations. The media and the Democratic establishment fail to paint this picture in the minds of the voter.
They attack the Republicans for condescending on women in assuming the Hillary vote will vote McCain just because he picked a women, when the sad sad truth about the way the media manipulates politics, means that people too often DO vote on image! And DONT vote on issues! Which means MANY Hillary voters WILL switch over; ESPECIALLY those who will not be effected by Republican fiscal policies, and if anything in many cases benefit from them (im talking upper crust women). And the media makes a MAJOR mistake in trying to go at Palin for being a mother and assuming she may not be capeable to rear children while in office, because this energizes women! It makes it EVEN MORE likely that women will vote McCain because it insults their intelligence. If anything it STRENGTHENS her image as a feminist. The feminist issue alone is not a monolithic one. Feminism is not defined by whether or not you are pro-choice although that is a major issue in the discourse. Media must be careful in failing to recognize that Sarah Palin, reguardless of her political position has done as much as any man whom has done what Sarah Palin has done; and in fact has done more based on the fact that we are in a system that makes it hard for women. That Sarah Palin is just as capeable of rearing children and running office as any Male politician with children. This conversation must be obsolete in the political forum. What the media MUST do is make it clear that while she is a successful self made woman, that doesn't take away the fact that her fiscal positions equate to an ABSOLUTE RELUCTANCE to holding federal government accountable for overseeing regulations on corporations. And that this means she is against making laws that force companies to have equal pay policies for women (when statistics show that women are paid less for holding the same positions as men). She is a neo-conservative, and neo-conservative policies put 'economic freedom' (which to them means dont let government tell you how you can make money; even if it means this keeps them from being able to check corporations on exploiting people; as is the case with equal pay) over the rights of citizens to work fairly.
I say McCain's choice was brilliant because he knew it would cripple the media and the Democratic establishment from being able to respond properly. Because he knows that the Republican party has the Democratic party in its pocket! For as much as Barack talks about change, he has surrounded himself with people who have to be verrryy careful in exactly how much power they are willing to share with the people. So if the media, if the Democratic elite were to paint the pictures i painted for you above, people would be aware of exactly how the system works. And they would in essence have to make some sacrifices, would have to lean more left. And there are too many moderate and conservative Democrats who quite frankly benefit from the McCain policies, to allow it to go left. These politicians would lose their jobs or have to go republican like Leiberman did. One of these politicians is Joe Biden. Which goes to show you what Obama has done. In the end it tells you the Democrats have been unwilling to do what the Republicans have done in serving their own base. The democrats are mobilizing us to put them in office, but they are slowly distancing themselves or in the least being as vague as possible because when they get in office they dont want to have to answer to us.
Sometimes i get the sense that the Democratic party is like the Christian Church, asking that we hope, election after losing election, as each politician of the democratic establishment piles years on to their Bio Sketch. Opportunists.
NOW, certainly they are the better side of the coin when it comes to addressing my issues, our issues. But if i sit here and shit on the Republicans all day while heralding the democrats just because i hate republicans, then where is the pressure on the democrats to serve me right?
Because the Republican base who benefit from McCain KNOW he will serve them right! And by that i dont mean you my lost boricua brother/sister! You are just lost! Start loving yourself! I mean oil and upper class.
McCain was just waiting for the chance. It has all been set up perfectly for him. He networked with those embeded in the top of the global economic heirarchy here at home. Kissed Bush's ass because now bush has friends running Iraq and Israel and Georgia if he re-establishes imperial rule there. And waited for Barack to make his selection, which would up being the same old. And from the Republican paradigm won the race to the "grass roots", because she ISNT a traditional washington Republican. She IS self-made. Barack lost in that battle. If anything just imagine this. If there was no Barack Obama, how different would you say the Democratic party is now than it was 10 years ago?
Not much! It WAS looking good for the first months of the race. I am very sad about this. I really am not trying to poke at him or bring the brother down. He still has the potential to do some great things. But he must get back to making it possible to put the power in the hands of the people. He has a big job... maybe im putting too much pressure on him.
He made the speech of his life, then had the air sucked out of him the next day. And now the Republicans are riding this wave of ascension JUST as 911 approaches!
In the mean time President Bush comes on the TV the other day for a Press Conference about the Hurricane and spends the last 4 minutes of a 5 minute interview on the conditions left by the storm, talking about off-shore drilling! I dont recall him drawing any correlation between drilling and the storm. A totally opportunistic moment to pitch his sale. AND THE MEDIA NOR THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT MAKE NOTHING OF IT.
In the mean time Sarah Palin condescends upon the poor by insinuating Community Organizers, who get folks together to talk about issues and take action in fixing street lights, getting sanitation to clean their streets, making sure police are not brutilizing their children, mobilizing to vote and then holding politicians accountable. She says they dont have responsibility! AND THE MEDIA NOR THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT MAKE NOTHING OF IT.
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3 WORDS FOR YOU
Suspension
Of
Disbelief
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Go on! Get Mad!
It makes me mad too.
And now i am waiting for Obama's response
just_like_you
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ToneAre
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