Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Politic-Al Thoughts

It’s not very often that I share my political views. And to be honest, I’m really not planning to share many now. I’ll admit that I moderately lean to the left, and I’ll leave it at that. But the intent of my comments here is not to persuade you to vote one way or the other, but merely to share some mostly unbiased observations. What I do care about is that you vote…no matter your candidate. Failure to vote takes away any right you have to complain about the politicians in office. Now who wants to forfeit their right to complain?

I have to admit that I’ve a Palin watcher. No, I’m not going to vote for her ticket, but I find the media coverage of her every move fascinating. But what I find even more intriguing is that there is finally a "soccer mom" vying for a significant national office. Women in their 30’s and 40’s rule this country. Really. Whether as a wife or mother, these women serve as home managers better than any man probably could. It only makes sense that one is finally hitting the big time to help manage the country. Hillary never struck me as the "soccer mom" type. Margaret Thatcher and Madeleine Albright certainly did not fit the bill. It’s not because Sarah Palin is more attractive than the others I mention; it’s just that she seems to fit in that neighborhood PTA lady, girl-scout leader mold more comfortably. Again, her politics are not going to earn my vote, but she represents a long-ignored and very significant portion of our population. I hope to see more women take the national spotlight in the future.

Barack Obama has the easiest name to belch than any other presidential candidate in history. “Ba-Raaaaaack”

Did anyone else notice that John McCain did not look at Barack Obama once during the first debate? Despite the moderator asking the candidates to talk to one another, McCain continued to talk to the camera and audience.

I find it interesting that incumbent politicians are claiming that they’ve opposed current unpopular legislation, or proposed favorable legislation that Congress or whomever shot down. That tells me that the incumbent wasn’t very effective or influential to be able to pass the more favorable proposals. I’d suggest trying someone else.

I have a female friend that stated, during the primary season, that she couldn’t believe anyone would ever vote for a female for president. She blatantly told me during the primaries that she could never ever vote for a woman and planned to vote Republican this year. I have to wonder if she’s still going to vote that way now that Palin shared the presidential ticket, or if “never vote for a woman” actually meant “never vote for Hillary.”

Speaking of female candidates, Elizabeth Dole is running for re-election as Senator in North Carolina. I have one question. Where the hell is Bob Dole? He hasn’t been seen once during the campaign.

Political advertisements actually make me miss the obnoxious car dealership commercials.

Vote. Just do it. It matters. Especially this year.