I have never liked John McCain. Ever since I gained a heightened awareness to the political spectrum and I suppose matured enough to begin to grasp politics for what it is, Mr. McCain has always stood out and in my opinion mostly for the wrong reasons. I feel as though his self-proclaimed "Maverick" mentality is childish, it's only periodically beneficial to him and his constituents and more often than not he's found himself snacking on his own foot in an apology for his actions.
Despite my overall dissatisfaction with him as a politician however, he does have SOME admirable qualities, some not so much. Although it's 50/50, I do think it's a good quality to see that he can admit when he's wrong and he is more than willing to publicly criticize himself when he is. It's a quality that few politicians possess and is something that is a nice change of pace because most people learn from their mistakes or attempt to correct them (Hey Georgie, I'm looking at you). Conversely though, McCain has contradicted himself and screwed up quite a bit on the big stage and done so and that's where it starts to go the other way.
Something that stands out to me, regardless of my own bias on the subject, is that Mr. McCain audaciously called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) "Human cockfighting" with the ease of certainty. This is the same Mr. McCain that has a passion for boxing which has killed more people in the last 15 years than MMA and left greats like Mohammed Ali in the condition he is in. It is quite clear that Mr. McCain knows next to nothing about the sport and yet so easily judged it and has actually insisted on banning it.
Maybe it is my bias speaking but I'm pretty sure pitting any human versus another in any blood sport should be considered a "cockfight" if that's how he's going to look at it. His ignorance and short-sightedness in the matter, to me, is partly why I'm not convinced he is an adequate leader for our country. If he could be so uneducated about something as simple as a sport yet make such absolute statements, it is very difficult for me to trust that he could be better as a President.
So yes although that is just an example of why I don't like him, generally speaking I don't. But that also doesn't mean he couldn't change my mind either, so long as he proved he wouldn't be so reckless. So on to his speech.
- The opening minute or so of his speech to me is wishy washy, but to me in a country where far more than half the population doesn't like and/or disagrees with the existing President, you probably shouldn't regurgitate the bullshit he has fed us for the last 7+ years. But it's not THAT big of a deal because Mr. McCain's voting record already exemplifies his hard-on for George W. Bush. (everything else is stupid sentimental stuff that has no bearing on anything except himself so, moving on)
- The fact that after his opening he immediately moves on to Obama and essentially saying that before all else he respects him and appreciates and admires him despite all else is pretty big. Granted all of this stuff is tactical, but not everyone sees it that way and I think a lot of heads probably nodded during this section even if they were already decided Obama supporters. For him to put all aside and acknowledge the progress our country has made by nominating a black man to run for President, though obvious, still could have been ignored.
- Herein lies the problem: Instead of tipping his hat and then moving on to "This is why we're different and that I am better" Mr. McCain is instead left defending his choice for VP and having to reiterate and re-enforce the reasons why she was selected. This is going to be a problem and it's certainly going to hurt his momentum if this issue continues to be at the forefront. She may have been the best pick out of the women (since the move is obviously to steal feminists who may have supported Clinton) but I feel like, if she was vetted properly, they should have considered how these issues might arise. I feel they underestimated the impact they would have and the distraction they would become.
- I find it a little unsettling that part of his focus is corruption when not only does Mrs. Palin have a looming corruption inquiry but he just sucked the proverbial dick of the Bush Administration at the beginning of his speech. Most people won't see that but I think it's quite apparent.
- His strong references to God are laughable, but he knows the Evangelicals are listening closely. Nice job, sir.
- His exemplifications of fighting for Americans, to me has missed its intended purpose. In particular the soldier's family who died in Iraq in saying "I wear his bracelet and think of him every day." To me he should have never personalized the war that way because it's alienating the families of soldiers who he doesn't know. He's picking one and acting like he cares about them all, we'll see if that has any impact because that could turn out bad on that front. He already has showed continued support for a largely failed war which most realized was based on lies, this won't further him much I don't think.
- The issue of tax is always a big deal and rightfully so. BUT I think the problem with McCain's stance is quite evident. To simplify his stance is "I'll cut where I can, keep them where they are now at worst and my opponent will raise them." That is probably true. However, we've spent a trillion dollars on a war that isn't (and in my opinion shouldn't) ending soon, where is this money coming from? Taxes. How can you cut the income but continue to spend without cutting actual governmental services to people IN America? Furthermore, how is this approach any different than the American family struggling to put food on the table using their credit cards and/or loans to stay afloat? We simply cannot finance our future the way we are, it's part of the reason our economy is weakening and so screwed up.
- Comparing education to civil rights is astounding and incredibly exaggerative. If you're going to compare anything to civil rights it should be the immigration battle.
- Mr. McCain criticizes Obama's idea of unionization and yet talks about promoting jobs. Yes, I know Republicans pretty much hate unions but union workers also tend to make more money than people that are in the same field of work, doesn't that make them beneficial to the people in a way? (yes the door swings both ways, I know.)
- He moves on to Al Qaeda and directs his attention toward Iran, this is another part of the reason why I am not thrilled about his potential presidency. Monetarily we don't need another war and when it comes to Iran, they're 98% a threat to Israel and 1% surrounding countries/allies and 1% or less to the US in the states. To me neither Iran nor North Korea should be a true priority right now because we still have bigger fish to fry and Pakistan may lose stability and loyalty to the US thanks to the resignation of Musharraf.
- His positions on bipartisanship are admirable but unrealistic. His approach to many issues is anything but and he's essentially (and probably strategically) putting Democrats in a position to either side with him or risk being fingered for the blame to just about everything he can't accomplish during his administration. That's not exactly how you unite a country, ask George W, he's one of the biggest reasons this nation has become so politically polarized.
- I still find the fact he uses this war hero thing to make himself look better a little aggravating. It's been part of his platform since he started politics and it's grown tired. It's been about 40 years Mr. McCain, we're grateful for what you did, unlike our current President, but we're past that point now.
- His closing is exceptional. I enjoy that he's not just saying "hey rest all the responsibility on my shoulders" or the government's shoulders, he reminds the people that they, themselves, can make a change and a difference in their individual lives. It does echo the same thing Obama had said at the DNC but overall it's a good message for anyone and one I can get behind regardless of who is saying it.
Now for Mrs. Palin:
- I do not believe she is the most qualified or even the best person in the Republican party for the responsibility of Vice-President. The move was very clearly political and even more evidently an attempt at capitalizing now undecided former-supporters of Hillary Clinton. Despite the details that have risen, it was a genius move, just not necessarily the right candidate due to the early impact.
- Some people lauded her speech the other night as quirky, pointed and entertaining and in part it was. But besides taking pot-shot's at Obama almost nothing about it was truly political. Once again she defended herself, she slightly differentiated between herself and Obama but at no point did she attempt to prove herself as not only a good politician but a competent VP pick who will do her job well. She did not define herself or her true stances, she just stood on stage, said some things about herself and poked Obama with a proverbial stick and called him a chump. The speech was a complete failure politically and the fact people actually thought so highly of it is pretty disappointing. But hey, it's people like that who voted George W. Bush into office because they thought of him as a guy they'd "drink a beer with."
- People that care about her personal life in terms of her daughter are petty, stupid and probably shouldn't vote anyway because they're the exact people that parade around telling other people how they should live their lives and what they can and cannot do. What Mrs. Palin is experiencing with her daughter is not only a private matter but it is something that MANY parents in this country now experience. Although some people might find comfort in knowing they're not the only ones, this issue needs to be put away because her daughter doesn't deserve to be put on a chopping block half a world away from where she resides. She's not on the ballot, her mother is, and her daughters private life has nothing to do with her mother.
- Conversely, I feel the issue of Mrs. Palin's mentally retarded child IS an actual issue and one that should be talked about and considered. Being a parent should always come first to being a politician and a child like that needs tons of undivided attention and care, it is a very difficult situation and for her to try and juggle both responsibilities is ridiculous and for her to neglect one over the other is even more so. Her child should be first and foremost and if it's not that's a problem, and if she relegates the responsibilities to her husband or a caretaker to me that's even worse. Above all else this is the main reason why this woman should NOT be our VP. If she can't handle her own child and make them first and foremost, how is she supposed to co-lead hundreds of millions of people? But that's just the tip of the iceberg there.
I intended on delving into more subjects but this is already too long so I'll leave it here and possibly continue in another entry.
