Only On Mondays

 Here are ten things about this year’s election cycle that are generally irritating, annoying and grieve me.  In and of themselves, none of them rise to a fatal level of consternation, but collectively they invoke the notion of being pecked to death by a duck; the duck will not kill you, you just wish it would.
 
1.)        Insulated politicians:  Sarah Palin acts more like a robot or actor who strictly sticks to the script in front of hand picked audiences.  Although unlike other famous actors turned politicians, she lacks the skills to carry the performance through to any sense of credibility.  At the Republican Convention we were told she has never used a teleprompter and then we were wowed that she made it through without slurring her words.  In front of hand-picked friendly audiences she could read the Peoria white pages and get standing ovations.  Even under extremely controlled environs she still isn’t convincing (as a politician or as an actor).  Here she is with an incoherent response to a marshmallow of a foreign policy question in front of a cheering, grinning contemporary audience.  Here is another example of Palin speaking before a hand-picked group about  oil.  Her response is so incoherent that the videographer transcribes what she says below the video.  Sounds like an expert for America regarding oil and energy issues to me.
2.)        The “free market” has yielded Chinese baby food, which apparently also doubles as rat poison.  Ah, the ceaseless bounty of the innovation inherent in Adam Smith’s Utopian economy.  Of course, this example comes courtesy of the Communists.  Never fear, the same government that brought you $700 billion bailouts, FEMA fecklessness, Iraq, the “Department of Homeland Security” and Chinese pet food, is assuring its citizens: all is ok.
3.)        “Equal time” does not mean both candidates lie equally.  The media seems to be interpreting compliance with FCC’s equal time rule as to mean that if the Republicans lie (sex education lie, “lipstick on a pig” lie, not visiting the troops lie, etc.) they must also diligently cover how Obama “stretches the truth,” too.  Coverage of one outright McCain lie seems to obligate the media to provide an equivalent opportunity to suppose that the opposing political candidate may also be outright lying.   It’s inevitable, anytime coverage notes a blatant outright Republican lie, the end of the piece will give a nod to “truth stretching” by all sides.  Enough already; time to call a lie a “lie” and let the chips fall where they may.
4.)        The Commission on Presidential Debates:  a, still secret, detailed contract dictates the terms of the 2008 presidential debates, including who can participate and the structure of the debate formats.  The Commission on Presidential Debates, a private corporation, has agreed to implement the debate contract.  While the details of this year’s contract remain secret, contracts from the past included gems such as: the parties will not issue challenges for additional debates, will not debate elsewhere, agree that neither film, video, nor audio excerpts from the debates may be used by either candidate’s campaign, the candidates may not ask each other direct questions and 32-pages of other similar decrees that are of a general disservice to democracy.  This year’s round of debates promise to be another rousing affair where both sides play up their opponent’s expectations, play down their own, “do better than expected,” and then claim “victory” immediately after the debates.  Of course, McCain insists that the Commission ratchet down the tenor of the debate further to help Palin make it through her sole exposure to an adversary.
5.)        McCain’s repeated assertion that “Obama never took on his own party.”  Is McCain the only person in America who didn’t watch this year’s historic democratic primary selection process?   
6.)        The Republicans portray themselves as the party of leadership.  In one example of their leadership skills, party leaders, presumably McCain, decided they need to “reach out to ethnic groups.”  So who did the Republicans tap to complete this all-important assignment?  Virginia Senator George, macaca, Allen.  When the guy gets on stage, according to the Washington Post, Allen was greeted by a shrieking whistle and two women screaming: “George Allen is a racist! Shame on the Republican Party for having him speak!”  This clearly validates the decision to put this guy on point for reaching out to ethnic groups. Good form. 
7.)        This just in, the Vice President works exclusively for the legislative branch of government.  This apparently is the argument for why it is perfectly legal to destroy eight years of documentation.
8.)        “Ill liquid assets that are very difficult to value” (as muttered by Henry Paulson on Meet The Press – 9/21/2008):  Referring to the $700 Billion “investment” We The People are about to make in the Republicans’ failing economic theory.   This is from the Treasury Secretary, the chief, head, financial decision making guru telling us that he is recommending dumping $700 Billion of our money, our hard work, our “investment” into worthlessness.
9.)        Ted Stevens:  Senior Senator of Alaska, the Grand Poobah of Alaska politics is under indictment for corruption.  We the People are told to believe that a member of his party and who is Governor of his state is not somehow affiliated with the corruption?  Politics doesn’t work that way; expect more revelations about the Palin/Stevens connection.
10.)      Initially, some media outlets called into question how thoroughly McCain had examined Palin’s background before putting her on the Republican presidential ticket.  A legitimate line of questioning since it tells us something about how the candidate makes decisions, about how they think, what they think their own vulnerabilities or shortcomings might be, if any.  The Maverick apparently wanted Joe Lieberman to be on the ticket, but couldn’t “take on his party” successfully and was forcefully overruled by the entrenched powers-that-be.  So then McCain is forced to go to his “B” list of running mates: Mitt Romney (don’t like each other, too Mormon); Tom Ridge (former guv of Pennsylvania and closely associated with Homeland Security, Ashcroft, Katrina, Rumsfeld, george, etc.; Tim Pawlenty (who?), who conjures up just enough of a “puxatawney Phil” image to be a supreme liability.  So who does he chose?  Someone from his “D” list. He acts like an old fighter pilot and reacts on impulse to select someone he may have met once before.  Palin is so unknown, that at least one speaker at the Republican National Convention referred to her as “Sarah Pawlenty.”  So clearly there are legitimate signs that McCain, may not just be impulsive, but also erratic (he has crashed five planes).  This is cause for national concern and consideration. 
Then, earlier this month McCain’s campaign angrily called for an end to questions about its review of Sarah Palin’s background, deriding a “ faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee  ” for vice president.  The liberal media, scorned by the McCain camp, has since obliged. 

Finally, a rebuke of Obama and the Democrats.  It’s time to change, in a word, their motto for the campaign.  They are missing a golden opportunity to capitalize on the ill liquid asset failings of george and his band of Republicans.  Obama can show he is in command of the economic crises too.  Obama’s campaign’s motto henceforth shall be, “Far less costly than the alternative!”