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So I managed to catch Palin's speech earlier tonight. I have to say, she pwned Obama pretty hard in it. Afterwards on Larry King, they had a panel of Dems to discuss the speech. Apparently the way it works now in American politics is that Democrats can bitch all they like, but if you call THEM on any of their bullshit, oh, you're just being divisive! D: D: D:
Talking about terrorism? FEARMONGER. D:
Using humor while criticizing your opponent's weak points? You're being NASTY! :'(
The recurring complaint they had was that "McCain and Palin can only attack because they have no plans and nothing to say."
*steam shoots out ears* Wait... what? Are... are you REALLY going to use that as your prime gripe against them? This from the party whose candidate has based his ENTIRE CAMPAIGN on making people feel hopeful while not actually saying anything?
I think there's a saying about the pot calling the kettle black... o_O
But yeah... in the weeks before the announcement of the VP choices, and after the DNC, Obama looked strong. I think he's a lot of hot air, but I honestly couldn't see McCain beating him. I was telling Phil that if McCain stood any chance, he'd have to pull a pretty big rabbit out of his ass.
Since his choice of Palin as VP and the last few nights, I'm not so sure of Obama's chances. I'm not saying McCain will steamroll him, it's just looking a little more even now.
In any event, Palin is looking like a good choice on his part.
It's worth noting, though, that the Dems now are using the same tactics to smear Palin that they bitched endlessly about when it was Clinton in the running. And you wonder why I dislike both parties? >_>
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While on that note, my mom was watching the rerun of her speech earlier, and I could hear her making little snide(and largely uninformed) comments at her.
Lemme give you all a little background. The way I was raised was; "REPUBLICANS BAD. DEMOCRATS GOOD. ROAR!" For most of my life, I believed this. It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I realized that both parties are pretty much crap and will screw us over if given half a chance... but at the same time, there are good and bad people on both sides.
My mom doesn't believe this. She's got almost 50 years of indoctrination to blindly hate the GOP while blindly hugging the nuts of the Democrats. She doesn't really know what the fuck she's talking about, but that doesn't stop her from acting like she does.
My dad, on the other hand, entered adulthood as a hardcore liberal... eventually grew to see the retardedness that can arise from the left fringe(as with any fringe), and became a Republican. Then Reagan came, and pretty much raped the Postal System(amongst other things), which my dad works for. Now he's a Moderate Democrat.
The biggest difference between them is that while my dad can see that for all the fucked up things the GOP has done, they can still put out good candidates at times, and they aren't all just The Devil.
My mom disagrees. Trying to get her to see the merits any Republican has, and any flaws any Democrat has will provoke her into plugging her ears and humming. She refuses to get out of the mindset of; "REPUBLICANS EVIL. DEMOCRATS GOOD. NO EXCEPTIONS."
She's one of the people that scare me. The people whose irrational hatred of Bush and the GOP cause them to blame Bush for everything wrong with anything anywhere in the world. Bush has a lot to answer for, no doubt... but she even blames HIM for the whole Georgia/Russia issue. She blames him for a LOT of stuff he had no hand in... but apparently the logic is that if Bush exists at the same time as something bad, it must be his fault somehow.
After Palin's speech, she basically decided it was a good time to start an argument with me by declaring that if I voted for McCain, she'd toss my ass out of the house. That I either vote for Obama, or stay home. And don't write in Ron Paul either, because he's a Republican and TEH DEVIL too.
Needless to say, I got a little pissed off. Actually, a LOT pissed off. I didn't even say I was going to vote for McCain, even if I do think he's a better choice than Obama. But I'll be DAMNED if someone's going to tell ME who I can VOTE for. Especially if they don't know a damned thing about politics, or about where the two candidates stand on the issues.
So, cue shitstorm.
She basically listed off a number of things that she feels are Bush's fault. As reasons why McCain needs to lose.
JOHN. MCCAIN. IS. NOT. GEORGE. W. BUSH.
Her: "HE'LL TURN INTO HIM! JUST WATCH! >:@"
There are two things to note when pondering how conservative John McCain is. For one, in the earlier days of the GOP race, the main platform the candidates took against him was that he "wasn't conservative enough," and he should therefore be ignored. Also, there's talk of Bush's energy policy... which Obama voted for. And McCain spoke out and voted against.
Yeah, McCain has done a flip a little too far into the heart of the GOP than I like, but HE. IS. NOT. GEORGE. BUSH. And I'm getting sick of the maneuvering the Dems are trying to do, which my mom seems to believe; that anything bad that's happened during Bush's presidency is somehow McCain's fault. Nevermind that he isn't president, let's blame him anyway.
Who do I see McCain as? The guy who would've been a better president than Bush these past 8 years. That's it.
Even though I never said I was even voting for the guy, why do I feel he's a better choice than Obama?
-Experience
-Character and the presence of mind only someone who's been through the shit he has can have.
-An actual plan to lift some of the pressure, in regards to the energy crisis and high gas prices.
-A lack of a desire to inflict Socialist Reform upon us.
-A lack of a desire to violate the Second Amendment.
On the other hand, things I don't like about Obama:
-Inexperienced.
-Wishes to enact Socialist Reforms which, while he claims he won't raise taxes, require raised taxes to be funded.
-In all honesty, no matter what he claims he'll do about taxes, he's going to tax the fuck out of us, because that's what Dems do.The money for their Socialist Reform has to come from SOMEWHERE.
-He has a HORRIFIC track record on the Second Amendment, and picked a VP who was partly responsible for the AWB94, the most idiotic, unfair and draconian gun law in history.
-Upon further examination, he tends to treat the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as if there's some moral parity involved, which there isn't.
And while not exactly topical, I'm also sick of all the damned celebs and the teens who idolize them talking about how Obama 'IS LYKE SOOOOOOO MUCH COOLER OF A CANDIDATE, DUDE!'
Want to get me to like a candidate? Don't show me people like George Clooney or Madonna showing love for them. Or dumbass teenagers for that matter. Seriously.
But yeah. Things have calmed down now, in regards to the argument, but that's the most pissed off I've been in years. Don't try to tell ME who I CAN and CAN'T vote for, especially if you don't know WTF you're talking about in the first place. >:@
OH YEAH... and it should be noted that when counting up all the votes for McCain's nomination, McCain lost out on a total of five votes, all from Alaska.
Who got those votes? The one Republican candidate who got all of them, with no other former candidates mentioned? RON-FREAKING-PAUL. XD
HA!
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