Friday, August 29, 2008

MISC: American Politics. Tis a Puzzlement!

I am a small 'C' liberal. I'm probably closer to libertarian than any other denomination of political view point. But in general, I think of conservatives, these days, as small-minded people interested in forcing people to their viewpoint, whether it be economical or religious, or both. Liberals tend to be dreamers who want better for the collective, but don't always have the ability to say NO! For me, I am looking for some one who's conservative in nature, but willing to let others do their thing. I want a better world for everybody, not just for me and my chums. I hope I have that explained that so you can understand where I come from.

In addition to my general beliefs, I also believe all politicians are liars. They have to be. They promise everything to everybody, because you can't effect your own agenda until you are in office. The worst politicians are the ones who then don't stop lying, to the public and to themselves AFTER getting elected. I DO think political office can be a noble thing, I just think it's a rare thing.

Still with me?

As a Canadian who gets sideswiped by the American backwash, I DO have an interest in American politics. I actually LIKE most Americans. Sure, generally speaking, they seem self-centred as a country, but when they DO look up from the navel-gazing, there's probably not a bigger-hearted country in the world. Well, except for Canada, the best country that has ever existed.

Over the last eight years, the United States of America has worked hard to totally destroy its reputation globally. That's hard to contemplate, harder to do. Yet the religious zealots who have placed a corrupt and incompetent (it would have been far, far better to have emplaced a competent corrupt crew in power), are going to get another chance to continue this strategy of self-destruction in two month's time.

How in the world can any sane rational man vote to continue the policies and practices of the Karl Rove shadow government? Guys I respect like Bob Thompson and Jerry Pournelle will. There are others, including nutcase jobs like that SF writer from down Carolina way, who I've tangled with before. They will all vote for soon-to-be-dead, ever-forgetful John McCain over Barack Obama. And it has nothing to do with him being black, as will be the case with a few million mentally-deficient racist morons. No, they hate the thought of a liberal being elected.

When exactly did liberal become such a nasty word. Why the Republicans have elevated it to the status of the 'N' word, applied to people with such dripping disgust as to make the person unelectable. Heck, you shouldn't even allow a liberal into your home, for fear of being tainted. The first two definitions of the word at the on-line Free Dictionary are:

a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

I would hope everybody I know and call a friend would aspire to both of these definitions. There IS a second set of definitions:

a. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.
b. Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.

That's the fact that conservatives want to hang liberals on. They give too much. Of other people's money.

Except in the USA, the last Liberal/Democrat President, ran a balanced budget. He started digging into the deficit run up over the years by an almost complete line of Conservative/Republican predecessors. The current President, the 'conservative' choice, has saddled ALL Americans with debt their great-great-grandchildren will STILL not be able to pay off. America is the greatest debtor nation in the HISTORY of the world.

While doing so, he has savaged the reputation of the country around the world, lowered the standard of living of all but the top few per cent of the population (i.e. his pals and their pals) and he has run a corrupt government who ignores law as if it was a line item in building a bridge to nowhere. If ever there was an emperor with no clothes, it is George W. Bush. Boy do we miss Molly Ivins these days.

And now, the American populace, told that elite is something NOT to want in a leader, are preparing to possibly send McCain and a young female companion to the White House to continue policies set in place by Rove and Dick Cheney, the man behind the curtain. Literally. McCain remembers and misremembers positions depending on the audience and the wind direction. He cites Obama's inexperience than pulls out an even less-experienced running mate out of the wilds of Alaska. He runs as a maverick, having voted party lines over 90 percent of the time, which is about the same percentage as Obama has voted liberally over the much smaller data sample. His claim to fame is that he got caught by the enemy and wouldn't come home at the first opportunity. Honesty and integrity require more than words, when a wife-cheater utters them. It demands exceeding those standards since. His involvement with the Charles Keating fiasco suggests that wasn't the case.

What's worse, is that he BECAME that kind of politician he railed against eight years ago when Rove and his minions spread lies about McCain's adopted non-caucasian daughter. That kind of stuff works in South Carolina. McCain decried negative, slurring politics at the time. He's embraced it whole clothe since.

I wish the liberals were smart enough to understand that you have to get INTO power, to use it. As has been pointed out in numerous places, a simple ad campaign built around McCain's week-to-week meanderings around the truth and his own past statements would surely dunkirk the Republican candidate. He'd be revealed as the rapidly-aging man that he is. A man no-one in all good conscious should want anywhere near the button.

The Democrats keep talking about what THEY are going to do in office, although that strategy has failed time and time again. People assume they are lying. And when the Democrat candidates stay above the negative fray, they allow stupider-than-a-doornail Americans to assume that the Republicans must be telling the truth about the Democrat nominee. Otherwise, they'd hear a rebuttal. That's how it works in the kitchen at THEIR home. So, they vote Republican, even though it will lessen their standard of living year by year.

For once, and Obama's Thursday-night acceptance speech hints at the possibility, the Democrats might just go ahead and try to WIN the highest office in the nation. The last time they did, it was with a derisive slogan. "It's the economy, stupid." It was never said directly, but the stupid wasn't referring to the populace, but to the decision-maker dragging down the economy at the time.

It's time to get elected Democrats. We Canadians love you too much to be happy with a bad second choice.

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