Alaskans Speak in a Frightened Whisper ... no freakin' wonder!

Charley James' article, which exposes Alaskan Governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin as The Wicked Witch of the North, came not as a surprise but rather a confirmation of popular belief. It makes sense that the woman who so spectacularly stupified Katie Couric and her viewers actually believed in what she was spewing. However, that only makes it more pathetic - and scary. How can she have come this far in life, let alone politics, if she holds racist beliefs on top of being unable to answer a question? What kind of voter would support a candidate like that? And perhaps more frequently asked, what kind of candidate would choose a running-mate with those beliefs and a lack of knowledge and common sense?
James' article in the Los Angeles Progressive effectively conveys to the reader the Third-Reich-esque beliefs that came so close to being the dominate views in the Oval Office. His opening quotation is perhaps the most poignant: "So Sambo beat the bitch!" she exclaimed to colleagues, in public, after Obama's victory over Hilary Clinton in the race for Democratic Party presidential nominee. She seems to be a master at offending racial and gender groups two at a time. Blacks and Women with her Sambo/Bitch remark. Arabs and the Inuit with her frequent referral to the Alaskan aboriginal group as "Arctic Arabs".
All that's "the tip of the iceberg" James' says in his article. Attempted book burnings, harassment of city officials during her reign as mayor, hugely irresponsible spending, and just general stupidity have plagued every office Palin has ever held, as a direct result of her being there.
Quite frankly, the fact that she had a loyal following among Republicans is frightening. That means that there's a percentage of people in the US that think it's ok to name your kid Trig. That alone is scary. Fortunately, cooler, more intelligent heads prevailed, and she has been stripped of any hope of a political career. Let's hope Republicans don't get the idea in their heads that she'd be a good candidate in four years time. If she doesn't realize that Saturday Night Live is making a joke out of her, and the whole world is laughing, how do they think she'll do when she has to deal with the global economic crisis? Perhaps if she laughs it off and appears on CNN Marketwatch a few times, the whole problem will go away. Not likely.
All I can say is thank God for keeping us away from that disaster.

Obama v.s. McCain - Oratorial Prowess

On Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, the two dominant figures in American and international politics over the past eighteen months each made speeches accepting their fates as decided by the American electorate. Republican presidential candidate John McCain made his concession speech to a crowd of upset supporters in his home state of Arizona, while the new President-Elect, Barack Obama, made his monumental acceptance speech to a titanic and emotional crowd in Chicago. Although both speeches were superbly crafted, Obama's will likely trancsend the ranks of average political performances, and land a place in the Oratorial Hall of Fame.
There were some similarities between the two men's speeches. For example, both made reference to historical events, especially pertaining to the struggle of African-Americans over the past century. McCain cited the example of Booker T. Washington, the first African-American to be invited to the White House, while Obama chose to mention 106 year old Ann Nixon Cooper. Obama also made several other more poetic and subtle historical references throughout his speech, such as his use of "calloused hands".
The structure of the speeches was also similar, despite being of different lengths. Both included historical references, brief comments on the campaign, discussion of the future, time for thank-you's, and mention of speaking with the other candidate after learning of the result.
There were also some differences between the speeches, apart from the obvious fact that Obama's speech was in acceptance of the presidency, and McCain's was not. Both speeches included time for thank-you's to family, friends and campaign personel, however, Obama took a minimal amount of time for that portion of his speech, choosing to deal with other issues, mainly the road that now lies ahead of him, and ahead of America.
McCain left more time for thank-you's, and even branched off, briefly talking about the role of families and friends in the campaign.
In the end, both were excellently crafted speeches, and delivered powerful messages to their intended audiences. Whether or not the audiences listen is another matter entirely.