Fear Mongers

I can't help myself. I'm watching the Republican Convention on PBS. I'm watching while I do other things, paying more or less attention from time to time. I keyed in a little while ago, around 7:45 CDT, when they played a video called "World Stood Still." It was a pathos piece about September 11, 2001, clearly calling on the American people again to be shocked, to grieve, to hate the "Islamofascists," and to be afraid – to be very, very afraid.

What a miserable, pitiful bit of fear-mongering! They don't acknowledge that George W. Bush never found any weapons of mss destruction, went into war on a lie, and never got close to Osama Bin Laden. And he did all this while stripping Americans of many of our civil liberties. He has shredded the constitution in service of a faux enemy. Inconvenient truths.

I'm reminded of the old Goldwater slogan in 1964: "In your heart you know he's right." For McCain/Palin, apparently the slogan is "In your heart, you need to be frightened."

Actress

Having just watched Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican Convention, I must say I am impressed at this woman's acting skills. We expected that. She was brilliant in reading the script that was prepared for her. Her family was deft in waving the little infant around.

She went after Obama like a pit bull. She lied about some of her background. Now ... let's see how (or whether ... or when) she has the nerve to accept actual interviews with real journalists. Let's see whether she can defend her own dubious public record.

McCain and Palin

"Getting to Know You"

Here's an edited video from the event in which John McCain introduced his chosen vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin.

Watch McCain's eyes. I ask you: What's he watching?



If that embedded video doesn't work, go here.

Let me say this: I was not a fan of McCain or Obama. I supported Senator Clinton. I would have loved to see a woman at the top of the ticket. But McCain -- who ditched his wife after she had a disfiguring accident -- has a track record of picking beauty-pageant women. I just wonder which organ he's using for his decision-making.

Pale in Comparison

These are some things I know so far about Sarah Palin, whom John McCain chose as his vice-presidential candidate.

1. She is under investigation for ethics violations as governor of Alaska. A bipartisan commission in Alaska is investigating her role in firing the highway patrol director who refused to fire ex-brother-in-law. This is a reformer??

2. The parent of a five-month-old baby with Downs Syndrome has accepted a position that will require her full attention. Although Palin said she doesn't even know what are the responsibilities of Vice President, I think we all know it's a job that takes way more than 40 hours per week. Does this mother of five who claims to be a "family values" politician really believe she can fully attend to her parental responsibilities while attending to the duties of the office of Vice President? Family values??

3. When Sarah Palin's water broke with her youngest child, she was in Texas making a speech to the Republican governors conference, and she chose to make the 11-hour flight home to Alaska rather than seeking OB/GYN consultation immediately. HUH??? Can any of you mothers imagine doing that? As someone who has never been pregnant, I just can't imagine it. Family values??

4. Palin's 17-year-old daughter is 5 months pregnant. I'm not going to pass judgment on that young woman. But for those of you who are parents: Is that a time you would run for national office? Would you expose your 17-year-old child to this public scrutiny? Or would it be a time when you choose to focus on your family and its very great emotional needs? Family values?

5. Like McCain's current wife, Sarah Palin is a beauty pageant queen. I gotta wonder about a guy who chooses his women in that way. [Yes, I intend that to sound as un-politically correct as it does. But I think "chooses his women" is a fair phrase to use about McCain's decision-making.]

What does all this say about John McCain, who would choose such a woman? John McCain met with her for 15 minutes, but apparently none of this affected his judgment. What does this tell you about his judgment?

I'll confess there is one more question that keeps coming to mind for me. Sarah Palin is a "Christian evangelical." I could probably deal with that. But now I learn she lives in the Assemblies of God portion of the Christian family. I don't know about you, but the AoG folks scare me. Those I've known have been knee-jerk fundamentalists, in the very worst sense of the terms.

If John McCain wanted to choose a woman as his running mate, I can think of several strong, experienced candidates. Elizabeth Dole. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Christine Whitman. Olympia Snow. I disagree with their politics very strongly. But at least they could command respect instead of giggles or scorn.

As a Democratic voter, my greatest fear was that McCain would choose a strong vice-presidential candidate. Fortunately, he failed that test.