Its 8:16 pm and I just want to add to the zeitgeist that is presently running rampant now all over the country.
Barack Obama will be the president of The United States by Midnight!
I cannot wait to experience that moment as it will signal the complete and final repudiation of the politics of fear and intolerance perpetrated by the Republicans under the helm of Rove. It will also mark the beginning of hope, enthusiasm and fellowship as the dominant aspects of American society after their long absence under the Bush administration.
This day will go down in history as the moment America was reborn in the spirit of its true ideals.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Sarah Palin: The Real American Hero
The term " Real America" has been a hallmark of the McCain/Palin campaign for the past month but I am still unsure about what this phrase really means. According to Hannity, Limbaugh and Beck, Gov. Palin embodies the real America. Now while I'm doubtful about the term, I know exactly what Sarah Palin embodies.
Gov. Palin's candidacy has been comprised of willful ignorance and somehow it is described as a positive in her being "Folksy". The xenophobia displayed by Palin; which is probably a testament to her not owning a passport until recently and only leaving the U.S. once, is in some bizarre twist indicative of patriotism and her being unconcerned with " Those Europeans".
Another in the list of great Palin attributes is her ability to lie and race-bait simultaneously. A casual look at any of the Palin rallies in the last month involving her accusing Obama of " Associating with terrorists" and the response of applause mixed with cheers of " Kill him" and " Traitor" are a testament to this great SKILL.
Using the logic applied by Hannity and Limbaugh, Sarah Palin is what the real America is all about. So that means the America that Palin, McCain and their supporters speak about is characterized by hate, ignorance, lies and xenophobia if their stump speeches are to be believed.
By virtue of living in New York city, I am not a part of the real America as defined by Sarah Palin. I am very happy to be outside of those borders.
Gov. Palin's candidacy has been comprised of willful ignorance and somehow it is described as a positive in her being "Folksy". The xenophobia displayed by Palin; which is probably a testament to her not owning a passport until recently and only leaving the U.S. once, is in some bizarre twist indicative of patriotism and her being unconcerned with " Those Europeans".
Another in the list of great Palin attributes is her ability to lie and race-bait simultaneously. A casual look at any of the Palin rallies in the last month involving her accusing Obama of " Associating with terrorists" and the response of applause mixed with cheers of " Kill him" and " Traitor" are a testament to this great SKILL.
Using the logic applied by Hannity and Limbaugh, Sarah Palin is what the real America is all about. So that means the America that Palin, McCain and their supporters speak about is characterized by hate, ignorance, lies and xenophobia if their stump speeches are to be believed.
By virtue of living in New York city, I am not a part of the real America as defined by Sarah Palin. I am very happy to be outside of those borders.
The Maverick Myth
With only a few days left til the election; I thought it would be appropriate to look back on the McCain campaign and how much of it lived up to the " Maverick" ideal.
John McCain by winning the Republican nomination had the opportunity to transform that party to represent the ideals that he championed during the 2000 election. Instead of taking the risk of being a visionary he simply sank into the mire of fear, anger, xenophobia and racism that has become a hallmark of the Republicans for the past 20 years.
A real Maverick would've selected a TRUE candidate for the Vice- Presidency instead of a gimmick in an attractive package named Sarah Palin. The Pseudo-Maverick which is John McCain failed to lead and gave into the "religious right' of the GOP and chose someone that is truly unfit for leadership and certaintly incapable of being POTUS.
The "mythical" John McCain we have heard so much about would've never took on the same team of handlers who smeared him in South Carolina along racial lines alleging he had an illegitimate Black child. The real McCain though didn't hesitate to take them on as a means to win at any cost.
The great statesman that FOX and other conservative outlets have described McCain as should never be in the presence of those calling for the " Killing" of a political rival at one of his rallies without speaking out in protest. But as the pattern has been made clear, the REAL McCain lives down to expectations and embraced the attack on Obama as an uppity, unpatriotic, muslim until the wheels fell off and his poll numbers dropped.
In closing, I think it is pretty clear that John McCain isn't and never truly was a Maverick. What we have in McCain is a man who somehow has been mythologized as a great leader and hero when the reality of his life suggests anything but.
McCain is someone who personifies the term, "Failing upward". A mediocre and reckless pilot who somehow got to keep his wings while endangering others. A poor student who by family connections got accepted to and graduated from some of the most prestigious military institutions in the world. Lastly, a man who has shown no true desire to learn, inspire or lead beyond his own personal ambitions has had a political career marked by success for almost 3 decades.
Failing upward has been a given in the life of John McCain, that is until now!
When McCain fails to win the election on November 4, it will be the first time in his life where he won't be able to gain success from failure. It will be a first that I will thoroughly enjoy experiencing with the Maverick this Tuesday.
John McCain by winning the Republican nomination had the opportunity to transform that party to represent the ideals that he championed during the 2000 election. Instead of taking the risk of being a visionary he simply sank into the mire of fear, anger, xenophobia and racism that has become a hallmark of the Republicans for the past 20 years.
A real Maverick would've selected a TRUE candidate for the Vice- Presidency instead of a gimmick in an attractive package named Sarah Palin. The Pseudo-Maverick which is John McCain failed to lead and gave into the "religious right' of the GOP and chose someone that is truly unfit for leadership and certaintly incapable of being POTUS.
The "mythical" John McCain we have heard so much about would've never took on the same team of handlers who smeared him in South Carolina along racial lines alleging he had an illegitimate Black child. The real McCain though didn't hesitate to take them on as a means to win at any cost.
The great statesman that FOX and other conservative outlets have described McCain as should never be in the presence of those calling for the " Killing" of a political rival at one of his rallies without speaking out in protest. But as the pattern has been made clear, the REAL McCain lives down to expectations and embraced the attack on Obama as an uppity, unpatriotic, muslim until the wheels fell off and his poll numbers dropped.
In closing, I think it is pretty clear that John McCain isn't and never truly was a Maverick. What we have in McCain is a man who somehow has been mythologized as a great leader and hero when the reality of his life suggests anything but.
McCain is someone who personifies the term, "Failing upward". A mediocre and reckless pilot who somehow got to keep his wings while endangering others. A poor student who by family connections got accepted to and graduated from some of the most prestigious military institutions in the world. Lastly, a man who has shown no true desire to learn, inspire or lead beyond his own personal ambitions has had a political career marked by success for almost 3 decades.
Failing upward has been a given in the life of John McCain, that is until now!
When McCain fails to win the election on November 4, it will be the first time in his life where he won't be able to gain success from failure. It will be a first that I will thoroughly enjoy experiencing with the Maverick this Tuesday.
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