A New Election - Same Old Story

Here we are with the latest presidential campaign and as always it is interesting to watch. We have the Republican National Convention winding down with the Democratic one having concluded last week. Despite the fact that we have all new candidates, we have the same twin specters of hypocrisy and idiocy.

Let us take a look at the Democratic party. We are presented with a man with an interesting personal story. A man who is a product of the American dream. A man who rose from humble beginnings to be Ivy League educated, a fine attorney, and then a senator for the state of Illinois. He is not just a gifted orator, but someone who can captivate all those around him and believe in his message of change. He will bring about change as the president. Change!

However, when he announced who is running mate would be, he revealed him to be Joe Biden. Yes, Joe Biden from Delaware who has been a prickly, self-promoting blowhard in government for over 30 years. Joe Biden, a solid member of the establishment that Obama is supposed to change. This makes absolutely no sense as it is a direct contradiction to what he is supposed to stand for as a Washington outsider.

When we look at the Republicans, we look at a candidate who also has an interesting story. He is the son of an admiral, a combat pilot, a prisoner of war, and an experienced politician. He is the opposite of his Democratic adversary in almost every detail and could be considered the epitome of his own party, that of a bunch of old, rich white men.

When he chose his running mate, the nation was quite surprised - he selected a woman. Not just any woman, but a woman who has been a mayor, governor of Alaska, mother of five, an athlete, and even a runner-up in the Miss Alaska competition. She is the most popular governor in the country and was successful in fighting and eliminating corruption in her state. She is the face of the future of the Republican party and she seems like a character that is too good to be true.

The Republicans were quite happy with McCain's decision but the Democrats apparently were not. The party that is supposed to embrace minorities(women, gays, immigrants, people of color, etc.) decided to attack her as being inexperienced, foolish for not being home raising her 4 month old child(that was quite possibly not even hers, no less!), and just a pretty face.

Despite the fact that she was a mayor of a town and then governor for the past two years, that means nothing. Nope, that useful experience she has of leading people and managing fiscal budgets certainly would not prepare her for the vice presidential position as back-up to the president, for attending all those important state funerals, and making the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. It is funny how someone could have vastly less experience as a senator, run for president, and that would be considered okay. Obama has spent the entirety of his career as a senator campaigning for the presidency. The hypocrisy is sickening.

It will be interesting to see how this develops. Presidential elections seem to bring out the worst in people and watching the talking heads on television is quite entertaining. Whoever wins will lead the country for at least 4 years and provide fodder for all the cartoonists and comedians. Let us hope that it does not devolve into hanging chads and accusations of a stolen election.