Stick a Fork In It

Well, it's official. I hate politics. I'm trying to be fair about them. I'm trying to assess the presidential candidates based on their platforms. Unfortunately, I can't anymore.

See, Obama used the expression "lipstick on a pig" in a speech recently. It's a common expression. I heard it a few years ago for the first time. I heard it a few months ago when McCain used it to describe Hillary Clinton's efforts at health care reform. So yeah, it's out there.

But when Obama uses it, he's referring to Sarah Palin according to McCain's people. For me, that was the last straw. Since I haven't heard him disagree, my opinion is that he is okay with this. As such, I am forced to make the following assessment: the group responsible for the Republican presidential campaign, and by association both their nominees for President and Vice President, are all douche bags, and now I have to vote Democratic.

This may seem glib, and in some small way it is (I'm not that knee jerk about these things, preferring research to what seems to be the American way of "hey, he agrees with me on topic X, and that's good enough). Seriously though, since nominating Palin, it seems to me like the Republican party has stopped discussing anything having to do with our country and what they mean to do to fix it. Instead, I hear a lot of stories. Stories of McCain being a POW. Stories of Palin shaking up the Alaska government. No plans, just stories. I understand that we can go look up their plans online if we so wish, but it's telling that the onus is on us, as all they want to do is tell us stories.

But then, they start striking out against the Democrats, labeling any criticism of Palin as sexism. Okay, I can see where you're going to get traction out of that, and let's be honest, this was all about courting the white women, right? I mean, we don't really believe that of all the GOP, she was the person most qualified for this, do we?

But this latest tactic, in my humble opinion, is just too much. Claiming that this comment was a swipe at Palin is beyond bad politics. We've now moved firmly into immaturity. They know it isn't true. They know it's not what he meant. Most importantly, they think we're so stupid that if they tell us that it is what he meant and demand an apology, then we'll all go, "Yeah, you should say you're sorry".

Well, not this guy. I'm taking my vote, and calling my legion of devoted followers to join me (all six of you). I'm tired of seeing what amounts to devious double talk in place of an actual conversation. Unless something spectacular happens during the debates (and I'm talking McCain-kicking-a-puppy spectacular), this one is all over for me.

On a side note, with all of the bandying about of such a term, I am forced to wonder what effect it has on the theater running frog demographic.