Social Sense
There are no wise choices, just an assortment of foolish ones.
//Okay, so the “really-exciting” part of the upcoming general election will be the result. Will Americans choose wisely? I harbor serious doubts about that.//
I share your curiosity, but I suspect it may not happen. Can it? Yes. Will it? Who knows?
I don't often do this, but I left a comment on a post at AC's Fore Left. I think it fits perfect with your lamentation.
Here is the full comment:
The interesting thing in all of this is, despite the national attention on Hillary and Obama, McCain is virtually tied with Obama in the polls.
McCain has been in a position to shore up his support, raise money to compete with the Soros machine, and refine his message by defining his stances on specific issues. If there is anything that will beat Obama, it will have to be specifics. McCain will have to be sharp and will need to have a way of countering Obama's populist message.
But the one thing we all must accept if Obama does win in November is, the simple old adage of "the pendulum swings back hard". The world of politics is generational.
You and I are old enough to remember the populist message of Jimmy Carter and how he managed to use this to propel him into the Oval office. I was a young naive man then, and fell for the rhetoric.
We also remember the days that followed. I can list the problems that ensued, but to sum it up in a word would have to be the word, "disaster".
These kids that are registering and voting for Obama are falling for the same kind of snow job, I did. After the inauguration, it will become apparent to them, as it did to me and many others like me.
When these kids graduate from college and find themselves working harder to keep their money and find themselves paying more to the government, they'll understand. When they see that all of the campaign promises are being broken and blamed on others, they'll understand. When they realize that gas (and other goods ans services) will continue to rise, violence and threats against the US will not cease, and people will still be poor, they will understand.
Then, it will be time for some serious blowback, just we saw in the election of 1980. Then, we will see the pendulum swing back to the position it once was.
Allow me to add that I think Newt Gingrich is waiting in the wings. If Obama is elected and screws things up like Carter did, how long will it take for Americans to turn back to him in the same manner they turned to Reagan?
For a politician, he is one smart guy that could bring about the kind of change the country needs. He isn't perfect, by any means. But just from reading a host of his writings, it's apparent that he is an idea man.
Two years ago, Hillary Clinton and other erstwhile democrats told the American people that if they didn’t like the price of gasoline, they should elect a democratic majority to both houses of congress. So the American voter did just that.
Somehow, I think that voters have forgotten all about that fact. They're all wound up--or disconnected altogether from the process.
As I watch this insane and inane election cycle, I observe that the idea of change has seeminly gripped voters, most of whom have become irrational and suffer from amnesia.
I'm not looking forward to Election Day. As far as I'm concerned, none of these candidates deserves my support. I may have to wear a gas mask to avoid the stench of the 2008 ballot.
Then will come the next four years, a period which I believe will be a very bad time in our nation's history--no matter who is elected to the Presidency.
Maybe I'm too much of a pessimist.
I spotted the following at Z's site:
"Obama, the Magic Negro", in the LA Times last March. Maybe this has something to do with what's been going on.
Thanks, Mustang...a public thanks for linking to my blog with Mr. Z's article under "excellent opinion".
Thanks for the vote of confidence. !
Mustang, Good Post...I am with you. which way do we go. If we only had faith in our leaders, but I'm afraid that is a word of the past. I commented of the state of the country to a receptionist at the local clinic yesterday and she said. You know we don't smile anymore. She was so right. what's to smile about.....stay well....
Let me point out a couple of things. Sure, only 6 or 7 percent of mortgages are in foreclosure but due to deregulation those mortgages were bundled in financial instruments that were impossible to price accurately and leveraged 5 or 6 times.
Multiply that 6 percent default rate 6 times and you have a serious freaking problem. Serious problem.
ANWAR has little to do with the gas issue. The weak dollar caused by unsustainable tax cuts, heavy balance of payment problems and huge off the books debt for the Iraqi fiasco (coming soon to Lebanon and Iran?) have weakened the dollar so badly that it is having trouble functioning as a reserve currency.
The lower value translates to higher wellhead prices and higher prices in the commodities market as traders seek appreciation of crap dollars.
Any candidate, such as John McCain, who is suggesting ANWAR has much of anything to do with this is powdering our collective ass.
The election is stunning in that it demonstrates just what mediocrity the dumb sorry American populace is willing to settle for.
I loved it when McCain thought he had a hit with his Federal gas tax proposal and then he had to back pedal when it was pointed out that the savings were trivial and he didn't know his ass from his elbow in the matter of energy policy.
Of course then Cankles jumped in and took the spotlight of Budgie Boy by making herself look like a bigger dope.
Meanwhile, Obama is going to "reach across the aisle" to the party who got us into this mess. Maybe reach toward Joe Lieberman (R - Tel Aviv) to get us out of the Iraq mess.
We are so far down the rabbit hole and we deserve it for allowing ourselves to be led by the nose by these low rent mediocrities.
Perspective is such the emotional equalizer, is it not? I love this posting because it mimics and expresses something I say privately to myself but for some reason don't bull-horn it as often as I should.
I work for a Real Estate development Company, so if anybody should be crying a river for sympathy then that would be me. Yes we have had layoffs, yes we are walking on eggshells not knowing when the other shoe or pink slip is going to drop, yes I concur that the cycle of real estate equity loss is disruptive,... but in comparison to what???
Gas is nearly 4 buck a gallon?,...hmmm, its nearly $10 bucks a gallon in Europe but the are used to it so nobody belly-aches too much about it. Besides, if you drove a mini Yugo (like they do over)and depended on State-subsidized public transportation (like they do over there) you would not see the effects of it in your personal transportation as much. Unemployment at 5%?... well hell, ... if it had been at Carter-Year levels of say 8%, or early Reagan-year levels of 10%, then we would be jumping for joy at how "low" our unemployment level is.
We have had it so good, so cheaply good, for so damn long that at the first sign of a downturn we turn into the French and surrender (ok, so it was a cheap shot, but I'm way off my game so forgive me). Take a look around, look at Mexico, Canada, .... South America, China (even with their 10% or whatever it is annual GDP growth). They are still light years from having the economic muscle we do,... even with this exorbitant debt and deficit we still sneeze and the planet does a collective "Bless you".
Perspective should be given to all us is in a clear IV bottle at least 15 minutes a day so we can stop whining about how "bad things are..."
Mustang,
I just linked to your essay.
//Take a look around, look at Mexico, Canada, .... South America, China (even with their 10% or whatever it is annual GDP growth). They are still light years from having the economic muscle we do,...//
Excellent point.
Many in the US do not realize that the percentage of growth seen in an economy is not necessarily reflective of how well off the people that live and work in that economy really are. When an economy is well established, growth is not the major indicator. Stability is. And as Mustang points out in his essay, unnecessary products like I-Pods are selling like hotcakes.
Ah the old gas price in Europe ploy. Well, most of that is taxes (the actually cost of the raw fuel has gone down 50% in the last few years due to the strong Euro).
So they take that tax money and spend it on useful things while we ship our "cheaper" price off to Venezuela and Saudi. Who has the better deal?
It's impossible to 'choose wisely' with these candidates.
You're right; though I'm not a McCain lover by a long shot, we'd better get him if we're going to stem the creeping socialism from becoming our way of life (who's have thought, in AMERICA?)....
As for 'exciting'? Same ol', same ol', every single day on the news? REAL exciting..!
And, as far as 'gentlemanly'? It's what Republicans do; that's why we lose. There's a way to be dignified and strong and RIGHT. We don't have that.sadly
I agree with Z on the "gentlemeness" flaw of the GOP. The problem lies with leadership and the fear of being cliche. Of course we have the unbiased media and entertainment industry to thank. Please note sarcasm.
Maybe it is time for the GOP to lay it on the table and show the Democrats what not only the vast right wing conspiricy looks like, but hell on Earth to be held accountable for sins past.
And maybe the Cubs will win the World Series
obob...ditto.
We need to get TOUGH and we need to lay out MOTIVATION for our decisions FAR better. Bush REALLY dropped that ball after Ari left the PR department.
Then, we only need to clean up the indoctrination in our schools, stop the media bias, make it as good to believe in Christianity or Judaism as it is to 'admire' islam, unemploy the Sharptons and Jacksons of the world, remind people that having babies just MIGHT be better for the babies with 2 parents, deny illegals those benefits WE should be getting .... well, I could go on... as you could, too, I'm sure.
No big deal, huh? (a LOT of sarcasm here!)
it is about the uninformed voter who swallow everything candidates tell them and then cast their ballot based on illogical and patently untrue political supposition....yes yes!..I dont think I can even bring myself to vote! 
One of the great truths of American history is that the Democratic Party has never fielded a candidate for President that a rational person would vote for, and they're not about to start.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few irrational people out there.
Angel, where does this UNINFORMED VOTER think America's going to get the money to PAY for all the goodies that sound so good to him?
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