The Politics of Politics
There is just so much going on in our world right now that I feel it is important to address a few of these. Below are my points-of-view regarding some of these hot topics:
Florida and Michigan delegates: Our very essence dictates that every eligible American has the right to vote and that vote must be counted. With this in mind, I have every confidence that the voters of Florida and Michigan will be able to vote in the November election. The fact is, however, that there is no such standard for a party's nomination. By breaking the rules, Florida and Michigan nullified their delegates. While important, they are by no means the same thing as the general election. Attempting to tie the two is a farce.
Political experience: Only one candidate of the three remaining has the "experience" so many have been discussing recently. John McCain is that candidate. Hillary Clinton is not. She has only marginally more experience than her Democratic rival. Yes, she was First Lady. And as the recently released records of her schedules show, there wasn't a whole lot of real experience there. My wife cannot do my job. Nor could I do hers. We know a great deal about each other's careers. That does not qualify us as experienced.
Does experience matter?: John F. Kennedy changed America. So did Theodore Roosevelt. Both great men were younger than Barack Obama when they took the office. Billion dollar companies are being run by GenXers. Am I missing something?
John McCain: John McCain is an American icon. He is a hero. His life defines bravery and service. More of us, myself included, should strive to live our lives like him. In addition, I love to read his work on courage. I place him in my list of top twenty living Americans. And there is not a chance I will vote for him in November. As terrific a human being I believe he is, his views are so vastly different from mine that I cannot in good conscience give him my support for president.
Iraq: Happy Fifth Anniversary! We've been involved in Iraq longer than we were in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and Korea. To be fair, the conquest part ended shortly after it began. We occupied Germany for four years following World War II. We occupied Japan for seven. But we were a heck of a lot farther along in the progress of nation rebuilding then compared with the debacle we're in now.
Recession: This one is a bad one. There is little doubt in my mind that we are in the beginning of a major recession. I believe that most economic downturns are just natural adjustments to the market -- a sort of reality check, if you will. And while it is true that we can find direct cause for each of them, my belief is that they are always inevitible. The current downturn, however, is particularly serious for a number of reasons. We've built up an enormous deficit in recent years while cutting taxes. Like our government, Americans have built up tremendous debt that they cannot pay. All this while the price of our lifeblood -- oil -- has gone through the roof.
Infidelity: Within seventeen hours of taking office, the new governor of New York admitted to having an affair. Why should we care? This is not the same thing as Spitzer. There is no law against cheating on your spouse. Why is this important? It's one thing if a person of authority abuses his or her power for sexual services, or if he or she breaks the law to do so. It's another thing entirely if he or she is unfaithful to his or her spouse. Simply put, it does not matter. It does not mean he or she cannot perform the duties required of the position. Enough. Leave personal lives alone.
Race and gender: Sure enough, the -isms have reared their ugly heads. This one is a racist, that one is a sexist. Voting for Obama means you don't want a woman in the White House. Voting for Clinton means you don't want a black man in the White House. While I am confident there are scores of people who are truly ignorant enough to believe race and/or sex to be factors as to whether or not these candidates can do the job, I am concerned that it's becoming a greater and greater issue. Either candidates' victory is history in the making. Still, I find it difficult to comprehend the notion, proclaimed recently, that racism is an easier obstacle to overcome than sexism. I don't buy the notion that being a white woman in America is a tougher road than being a black man. Nonetheless, it is long overdue that we have either in the White House.
Just not Hillary Clinton.
Florida and Michigan delegates: Our very essence dictates that every eligible American has the right to vote and that vote must be counted. With this in mind, I have every confidence that the voters of Florida and Michigan will be able to vote in the November election. The fact is, however, that there is no such standard for a party's nomination. By breaking the rules, Florida and Michigan nullified their delegates. While important, they are by no means the same thing as the general election. Attempting to tie the two is a farce.
Political experience: Only one candidate of the three remaining has the "experience" so many have been discussing recently. John McCain is that candidate. Hillary Clinton is not. She has only marginally more experience than her Democratic rival. Yes, she was First Lady. And as the recently released records of her schedules show, there wasn't a whole lot of real experience there. My wife cannot do my job. Nor could I do hers. We know a great deal about each other's careers. That does not qualify us as experienced.
Does experience matter?: John F. Kennedy changed America. So did Theodore Roosevelt. Both great men were younger than Barack Obama when they took the office. Billion dollar companies are being run by GenXers. Am I missing something?
John McCain: John McCain is an American icon. He is a hero. His life defines bravery and service. More of us, myself included, should strive to live our lives like him. In addition, I love to read his work on courage. I place him in my list of top twenty living Americans. And there is not a chance I will vote for him in November. As terrific a human being I believe he is, his views are so vastly different from mine that I cannot in good conscience give him my support for president.
Iraq: Happy Fifth Anniversary! We've been involved in Iraq longer than we were in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and Korea. To be fair, the conquest part ended shortly after it began. We occupied Germany for four years following World War II. We occupied Japan for seven. But we were a heck of a lot farther along in the progress of nation rebuilding then compared with the debacle we're in now.
Recession: This one is a bad one. There is little doubt in my mind that we are in the beginning of a major recession. I believe that most economic downturns are just natural adjustments to the market -- a sort of reality check, if you will. And while it is true that we can find direct cause for each of them, my belief is that they are always inevitible. The current downturn, however, is particularly serious for a number of reasons. We've built up an enormous deficit in recent years while cutting taxes. Like our government, Americans have built up tremendous debt that they cannot pay. All this while the price of our lifeblood -- oil -- has gone through the roof.
Infidelity: Within seventeen hours of taking office, the new governor of New York admitted to having an affair. Why should we care? This is not the same thing as Spitzer. There is no law against cheating on your spouse. Why is this important? It's one thing if a person of authority abuses his or her power for sexual services, or if he or she breaks the law to do so. It's another thing entirely if he or she is unfaithful to his or her spouse. Simply put, it does not matter. It does not mean he or she cannot perform the duties required of the position. Enough. Leave personal lives alone.
Race and gender: Sure enough, the -isms have reared their ugly heads. This one is a racist, that one is a sexist. Voting for Obama means you don't want a woman in the White House. Voting for Clinton means you don't want a black man in the White House. While I am confident there are scores of people who are truly ignorant enough to believe race and/or sex to be factors as to whether or not these candidates can do the job, I am concerned that it's becoming a greater and greater issue. Either candidates' victory is history in the making. Still, I find it difficult to comprehend the notion, proclaimed recently, that racism is an easier obstacle to overcome than sexism. I don't buy the notion that being a white woman in America is a tougher road than being a black man. Nonetheless, it is long overdue that we have either in the White House.
Just not Hillary Clinton.
posted by E-Luv at 1:08 PM
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