On a dead shift right now, leading to another dead shift, leading to a half an hour off then another dead shift after that. I’m sleeping somewhere after 3:30am.
Watching news reports of the possible stock market meltdown in the morning. Things are bad, so very bad, but hey, it’s been two or three days since we’ve had a report on Sarah Palin’s family life or how she’s the second coming of the Republican party.
If we let them steal another election, this time by clothing it in an empty head and some lame catch phrases (and a negative ad campaign so bad that even Karl Rove went “Uh, guys…”), then it’s our own damn fault.
The fact is that Republicans controlled the government for most of the last 8 years. Every branch. Yet they still got nothing done. Well, other than tax cuts for the rich and all but abolishing things like science and math and education and health care for anyone who can’t afford it (which is most of us). It is hilarious to me that John McCain is running as a reformer now since he was in office THE ENTIRE TIME and did little to nothing to stop things or actually change things in DC.
He keeps saying that DC has to change, yet when pressed, he doesn’t state anything specific. He says “all of Washington DC” but not who or why or how the changes will happen. And Palin, well, Palin is just the Supreme Court nominees all over again. Remember when the Republicans said that they didn’t have to answer ANY questions at the *confirmation hearings* and the Democrats gladly went along with it? This is the same thing. Palin will spout off catch phrases and attack the other side, but when pressed on any issue, she’ll double talk and spin some gibberish to get on to the next question.
At one time I admired John McCain. He did seem to be the voice of reason in his party. It was like he was a reformer. But it didn’t last. He decided that he wanted to be president and suddenly he’s hugging Bush and being Bush’s right hand man on everything. But now he’s against Bush. He’s against his own party. Yet his party is solidly for him since he picked Palin? Hmm.
His message “now” is that everything that was done by Bush over the past 8 years is wrong (except the war, of course). Except all of his policies are continuation of the Bush Doctrine, and his message “for change” is muted if you look at what he wants and compare that to the Bush agenda.
Before you go labeling me an “uppity liberal” here’s the deal: At the start of the decade I had a good job. I had health care. I had dental care. I had a 401k. I had a good job and a bright future. I could afford to go on trips and I could afford to drive my car. Now I have none of these things. The job got shipped overseas and I’m working a good (yet low paying job) from home so I can take care of my dad.
I want health care. I want dental care. I want a raise. I want to go back and finish my bachelor’s degree one day. I want to be able to drive to all of these places without having to pay $8 for a gallon of gas (which IS coming).
I don’t see anything in McCain’s plans to help me.
I do see it in Obama’s.
So Obama gets my vote.
Do I think he has a chance in hell of winning at this point? I really don’t know. McCain got a huge convention bounce and a lot of interest due to the choice of Palin and his negative ads, yet he’s only up by 1 point in the national polling. There’s 49 days left until the election. That’s a LOT of time for things to go right or wrong for either side. It’s not like Kerry, who pretty much had the election lost by now, or Gore who refused the aid of Bill Clinton and won the battle but ultimately lost the war. We’ll have to wait and see.
But for now, I go back to working my (near) minimum wage job ’round the clock and hoping for the best.
Have a wonderful day, ’cause the future is just scaring the hell out of me.
Jim