This is my rallying cry for all Americans. Can people for once put the blinders on, and think about what they have personally experience during the past 8 years. What types of conversation do you and your family have? Do you discuss the economy and $4.00 gal gas. How difficult it is to feed your family with skyrocketing food, energy and regular day to day basics? When was the last time you took a real good look at the equity in your home? Where you planning on using that equity to send your kids to college?
These and more such as environment, health care, national security and foreign policy are all on our minds. So every 4 years we have an opportunity to make a difference in this country with our voice and our vote. This becomes our chance to say which leader of the free world we are trusting to do what is best in his or best estimation for our country and in some cases the world!
This is a unique year, for the first time in history we are paying attention unlike we never have before. There have been more registered voters than in any other time before. People watched the conventions by the millions. The crowds come out, the bloggers are posting, the pundits and analysis are going crazy. Everyone is totally focused!
But the question is 'on what?! First there was the contentious battle in the Demoncratic Primaries, which when the dust settled left a number of people, especially women, upset. They wanted their shot at history and thought for the first time, they would break that "glass ceiling".
Tempers flared, insults flew but at the end of the day, though there were 18 million cracks made it wasn't broken as women had hoped. However, history was still made. No we didn't get the first women, however the historical event occurred when an African American man did break through. He didn't crack the 'glass ceiling' he broke through chains and barriers, that no one had ever imagined would happen in our lifetime, though it was often 'dreamed'.
We had extremely gifted and qualified opponents for the primary race, in fact the only difference between them was the added experience for Hillary, but there was the vision of Obama. Otherwise these two candidates shared the same ideology and philosophy on what issues where important to the citizens of this country and how to achieve the goal. After some time had passed and during the Democratic convention though many were still licking their wounds and preferred to hold on to t heir disappointment, by and large they were united. Every recognized that there was more at stake than just 2 candidates. Great! the party was healing and we were ready to get down to the task at hand.
Then came the next big wave, The Republican Party feeling lackluster and out of touch, oftentmes complaining of not getting as much attention decided at the last moment to make a grand stand gamble and out comes the now infamous Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as John McCain running mate. The country has gone from stunned, to shock, to overwhelm to elation and in some cases panic.
The media and the bloggers are all buzzing about Sarah Palin. People are talking about how much like them she is. How much integrity she has, how she stood up to her own party and cleaned house in Alaska. They have gone on and on about this person. That would not be totally a bad thing with one exception, NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT HER!
All of these conclusion were based on 1 introduction speech and then 1 acceptance speech. People are amazing to me. Each of the speeches were written by speech writers, delivered by her and she has never used anything else. Not to mention the republiican party did not property vet her, she has no foreign policy experience, she has been a Governor for less than 2 years, and she has no domestic policy. But everyone loves Sarah and she can do no wrong. In fact she is so pure that she is not allowed to speak to the media or to the public until 'she is comfortable". She does ot have to stand up to the same scrutiny that alll the other candidates have had to face for these pass almost 2 years and in some cases for many years. Why not? I'm not sure understand. No no one in the media is really pressing the issue. Somehow they have made it okay.
Everything that is known is either what she says or what people have made up. In the meantime, there have been no issues talked about by either she or John McCain.
"Enough is Enough"
These and more such as environment, health care, national security and foreign policy are all on our minds. So every 4 years we have an opportunity to make a difference in this country with our voice and our vote. This becomes our chance to say which leader of the free world we are trusting to do what is best in his or best estimation for our country and in some cases the world!
This is a unique year, for the first time in history we are paying attention unlike we never have before. There have been more registered voters than in any other time before. People watched the conventions by the millions. The crowds come out, the bloggers are posting, the pundits and analysis are going crazy. Everyone is totally focused!
But the question is 'on what?! First there was the contentious battle in the Demoncratic Primaries, which when the dust settled left a number of people, especially women, upset. They wanted their shot at history and thought for the first time, they would break that "glass ceiling".
Tempers flared, insults flew but at the end of the day, though there were 18 million cracks made it wasn't broken as women had hoped. However, history was still made. No we didn't get the first women, however the historical event occurred when an African American man did break through. He didn't crack the 'glass ceiling' he broke through chains and barriers, that no one had ever imagined would happen in our lifetime, though it was often 'dreamed'.
We had extremely gifted and qualified opponents for the primary race, in fact the only difference between them was the added experience for Hillary, but there was the vision of Obama. Otherwise these two candidates shared the same ideology and philosophy on what issues where important to the citizens of this country and how to achieve the goal. After some time had passed and during the Democratic convention though many were still licking their wounds and preferred to hold on to t heir disappointment, by and large they were united. Every recognized that there was more at stake than just 2 candidates. Great! the party was healing and we were ready to get down to the task at hand.
Then came the next big wave, The Republican Party feeling lackluster and out of touch, oftentmes complaining of not getting as much attention decided at the last moment to make a grand stand gamble and out comes the now infamous Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as John McCain running mate. The country has gone from stunned, to shock, to overwhelm to elation and in some cases panic.
The media and the bloggers are all buzzing about Sarah Palin. People are talking about how much like them she is. How much integrity she has, how she stood up to her own party and cleaned house in Alaska. They have gone on and on about this person. That would not be totally a bad thing with one exception, NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT HER!
All of these conclusion were based on 1 introduction speech and then 1 acceptance speech. People are amazing to me. Each of the speeches were written by speech writers, delivered by her and she has never used anything else. Not to mention the republiican party did not property vet her, she has no foreign policy experience, she has been a Governor for less than 2 years, and she has no domestic policy. But everyone loves Sarah and she can do no wrong. In fact she is so pure that she is not allowed to speak to the media or to the public until 'she is comfortable". She does ot have to stand up to the same scrutiny that alll the other candidates have had to face for these pass almost 2 years and in some cases for many years. Why not? I'm not sure understand. No no one in the media is really pressing the issue. Somehow they have made it okay.
Everything that is known is either what she says or what people have made up. In the meantime, there have been no issues talked about by either she or John McCain.
"Enough is Enough"
So I ask you at the end of the day, if the economy, education, health care, foreign policy and the like are at the forefront of your minds or if you feel the economiy is in bad shape, or that our country is headed in the wrong direction, why are we spending so much time talking about "lipstick"? We have talked about "Bridges to Nowhere", ebay planes, hockey moms, moose hunting, etc... but when do we talk about the ISSUES!
Is this what it all boils down to? I thought we all wanted change, but we are talking like this is az reality TV show. And I guess in some cases that is how the media, and the public is treating it.
I have seen more divisiveness, racism, sexism, culturalism, elitism than anytime in my entire life. All these ills are alive and well in America. It is amazing to me how someone can say "yes, I am hurting because I loss my job, and I've lost my home. I don't know how I'm going to feed my family. Im sick and I don't have health care and I have no way to retire and still and then say, but I can't vote for a Black man". Or talking about pitbulls and pigs. Or he is too old, or she is so beautiful. We have real 'ISSUES" people! When are we going to pay attention. Time is running out.
You owe it to yourself and to your future and that of your children to stop dealing in small, trivial political tactics of innuendo, misrepresentations, and outright lies'. When someone makes a statement, don't just sit there and listen to what someone is feeding you, check it out for yourself. Stop allowing the media, the tabloids and the talking heads to decide what is best for you. You decide. And when making that decision, do it based on what 'ISSUES" are important to you, not whether someone looks like you. Determine if the candidate's agenda coincides with yours. Take responsibility for your decision and stop being manipulated by the politics. At the end of the day you will be the only one in the voting booth and we all will have to live with your decision.
Sorry Rick Davis, "It's the ISSUES" Stupid; not the personality! Get out and VOTE!
