You guys are more than aware by now that I'm not nuts about either of these fellows. Don't get me wrong - this is the best choice of nominees from both parties we've had in probably my lifetime. It's just that I think we missed a rare opportunity to go much further than this, and I'm disappointed with both candidates for tracking to the right and looking more like run-of-the-mill politicians than the "outsider" and "maverick" we were sold on. There's the glimmer of hope that both of them are just pandering to the masses until the general election and they'll be who we thought they were once they're in the White House. [Remember when GW did that? "The Uniter." Oh that was barrel of laughs, wasn't it?] I'm not betting on it.
Here's McCain's new TV spot to run tonight during DNC coverage:
What a good sport the elder senator seems to be. It's like he would pat Obama on his cute little head if he could and say, "Good boy. You've done a good job, foolishly ambitious young black man." Wow! This is the most condescending ad I've ever seen. If he meant anything he said, McCain would have given Obama a personal phone call, not run such a condescending spot on national television... on the evening Obama's acceptance speech no less. Is this what transparency in politics means? I know when I'm being talked down to, and that's exactly what's going on here.
Speaking of Obama's acceptance speech, Brand O™ released a rather lengthy exceprt earlier tonight. You can read it here.
He really hooked me with, "That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President."
Yes! Finally a solid definition! And then... it kinda rambles into a lot of the same old stuff... with a few notable surprises which border on science fiction: "...find ways to safely harness nuclear power..." [Please tell me more - I'm intrigued about your new science.] And this: "I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East." Wow. Good luck with that.
The only thing that will end our dependence on oil from the Middle East is when it all dries up, which is not a whole lot longer than Obama's goal. I'm disappointed that the candidates aren't talking about getting off this rock and thinking about the resources in our solar system. That's far less sci-fi that what either of them are saying. We will exploit all of the natural resources on earth within this century because nobody wants to talk about the fact that overpopulation is the single biggest problem facing humanity, for stupid religious and political reasons.
I don't mean to be a dick and pick on the guy I'm probably going to vote for. There are some absolutely brilliant parts of the speech. Here's my favorite:
"I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.”
That's what I most want to hear and see happen. McCain's not saying anything like that, and that's why I'm probably voting for Obama.
update: The delivery of the speech was authoratative and strong and unflinching on liberal ideals. That's what he needed to do and he did it well.
2 comments:
what happened to the addendum about people should be required to take a test on the issues before voting? and overpopulation?
I felt it was a little too much ranting for one night. We'll come back to it, promise.
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