Thursday, September 4, 2008

It's On Like Donkey Kong!

Before this years election, the extent of my political involvement was making student council buttons for the kids at my school.

But just so ya know, I made them with glitter and pom pom puffs...and even some with glow in the dark puffy paint. And my peeps always won. Like the time we made mini wieners to pass out that said, "You never sausage a candidate." Just FYI...his name was Jim Dean. Amen.

But until I got my last job, I really was not even aware of the political process or even who was the elephant and who was the donkey. I just embrace all symbolic animals.

Well, this election has tweezed a nose hair and gotten my attention. And I am hooked. And I care. And although I am THE most ignorant person in THE WORLD about the issues and solutions that face our nation, I am learning.

I have NOT decided who I am voting for yet. And am swayed by the moment and am trying to figure out the facts from the opinions and hear an UNBIASED middle. Isn't that what the media is for?

Well, let me say that have been completely disappointed with the media. And that is really an unfair statement. Let me say I have been completely disappointed with CNN's coverage, which is what I have watched 95% of the time. I do however like George Stephanopoulos from ABC and think Bob Costas is secretly jealous of his hair.

So since the media has decided to go to the tanning bed instead of be responsible reporters, {BTW, I do not blame them, I probably would too. Ted? Ted Turner? Is this why you did not respond to my job application?} Country Girl has decided to take matters into her own hands. She is covering not only all the DNC, but now also the RNC. And let me just say the Democrats totally got the raw end of the acronyms sharing it with a horrible medical procedure. They should change. Ha. Get it CHANGE? Oh my my...Campbell Brown move over sister.

I am afraid of missing a moment cause what if they say something that cinches it for me? And I miss it? So, my hiney is GLUED to the couch after 9 pm so I can soak in all the political ponderings and wish that Jack Handy was a corespondent.

But last night I could not WAIT to here Sarah Palin's speech. Other than her introductory speech, when she was announced, I had never heard anything about her. And all the other information I received was from Wolf Blitzer and CNN. And let em just say, there was nothing they said that made me think she should be disqualified. Actually, everything made me respect her a little more for being so...real...and loving.

And let me just say that I respect Barack for saying,

“Let me be as clear as possible, I think people’s families are off-limits, and people’s children are especially off-limits. This shouldn’t be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president.”
Obama said reporters should “back off these kinds of stories” and noted that he was born to an 18-year-old mother.

“How a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be the topic of our politics, and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that’s off-limits.”
I not only thought this was respectful and the RIGHT thing to do, but it made me want to hug him and toast him with a mimosa in a long stem champagne flute.

But with the energy and excitement the Democrats gave me, the Republican left me ... bored. Until last night. But is it their job to ENTERTAIN me? No, but I do want to be excited about my candidate. And when I looked out in the crowd of the RNC, I saw...well...older people in suits and stuffy...except the pink boa lady. She spoke to my heart.

And at times the speeches were almost painful to watch. I felt like I was back in Mr. Oppel's high school government class watching film strips about the checks and balances and branches and zzzzzzz.

Mitt Romey's speech made me want to scream at the TV...HELLO! What planet are you living on, Mr. Perfect Hair? Cause we he started on his liberal Washington segment....

“We need change all right - change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington - throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain.”

And then he went on to give specifics about the liberal Washington we have and I was all like WHAT? This is 2008! Maybe that would have been a good speech 15 years ago, but I thought it was completely irrelevant to today. I am so sorry Mitt. But your name is hip and cool and EVERYBODY thinks you hair is hot for an old man. But your speech stunk.

Mike Huckabee. Now that man can speak. And he told the story about the teacher that would not give desks to her students until they could figure out how they EARNED them. All day they tried to guess but to no avail. Then Huckabee told us,

"Martha opened the door of her classroom. In walked 27 veterans, some wearing uniforms from years gone by, but each one carrying a school desk.

As they carefully and quietly arranged the desks in neat rows, Martha said,

'You don't have to earn your desks. These guys already did. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. No one charged you for your desk. But it wasn't really free. These guys bought it for you. And I hope you never forget it.'

I wish we all would remember that being American is not just about the freedom we have. It's about those who gave it to us.

Ladies and gentlemen, John McCain is one of those people who helped buy the freedom that we enjoy and the school desks we had.

It's my honor to do what I can to help him have a desk that he has earned, one in the Oval Office."

If I had to cast my ballot right then, I so would have checked McCain through the tears in my eyes.

Next, came Rudy. And let me say, he was the one I ORIGINALLY thought I would support. I love Rudy. And his speech was HARD and TOUGH and honestly, a pretty dag gone good. And I am purposefully avoiding using his last name cause I don't know how to spell it.

Anyhoo, of all the speeches, this was BY FAR the most FACT BASED and HELPFUL to me thus far. I wanted to know some FACTS and he hit them HARD and with humor. Of course, I know he is biased, but it is good to know that

“For four days in Denver and for the past 18 months, Democrats have been afraid to use the words ‘Islamic Terrorism,”’

“They are in a state of denial about the biggest threat that faces this country.”

And then he addressed a point that has been under my skin all week,

"And how dare they question whether Sarah Palin has enough time to spend with her children and be vice president. How dare they do that. When do they ever ask a man that question?"

I felt so much better that SOMEONE had said that. I needed it said if nothing else, for me and my decisions in my life.

Hello? Hello? Is anyone still reading? Mom?

But next, next came Sarah. And I was oh-so-eager to hear her speak. And inside I was rooting for her and wanting her to knock it out of the park....and she did. And I will talk all about Sarah in a separate post.

But all I have to say right now is...

IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!

18 comments:

Marchelle said...

i missed it last night!! i watched the night before though.

i like her - they have my vote!

spanki said...

i did not catch the dem.'s, but i did watch last night and i too was very pleased with what i saw. she is real, and normal and sold a jet on e-bay... now that's what we will get with a women in the white house!! i was impressed!!

Anonymous said...

CG, I'm right there with ya! I think Sarah is awesome, however I liked Obama's speech at the DNC last week when he accepted the nomination. I'm still undecided. I'm hoping that the media will quit digging into Sarah's life to find any trace of anything to blow out of proportion, I notice they have not done that with Biden! So my wish is that they leave her kids alone and both parties put on their best game so I can decide who to vote for!

Anonymous said...

Just so you know, you'll never get a fair and balanced view at CNN--or even from George Stephanopoulos--they are SO liberal it isn't funny! I am excited to watch Obama on O'Reilly tonight at 8pm. If you want to see him in the hotseat--tune in! I am hoping that O'Reilly grills him. I would like to see some answers--real answers, not charm. Obama can charm the pants off of people--but he can't answer the questions. It should be eye-opening if any liberals will watch foxnews!

Anonymous said...

Obama's comments were dead on. I think I would have a little more respect for them if he would have made them 24-48 hours earlier.

If nothing else, Sarah Palin has gotten people excited about an election again.

As for fair media.. only in your Dreams Country Girl.

Us said...

Awww...crap, I missed it last night too! But thank you for filling me in! I heart S. Palin and they totally have my vote!!

Adventure girl said...

I am undecided still, but think Sarah is so cool and has done so many amazing things.....mainly her mothering:)
Thanks for the recap. I started to wathch it and got bored and VERY embarrassed for G.B. during his speech and turned the channel!

K :) said...

Totally agree with all of the above.

Dana and Daisy said...

I thought she totally kicked butt and she made me proud to be a woman!

JustaDog said...

And when I looked out in the crowd of the RNC, I saw... well...older people in suits and stuffy

Oh - I didn't know Joe Biden, 2-time looser, was at the RNC!

ptamom3 said...

I'm definitely voting for McCain/Palin- she is awesome and seems very true to her word (I hope)- the media is so cruel and unfair because she is a woman- that is their whole issue- they don't say stuff about Biden and his family like they do about hers.. IT'S VERY WRONG. Anyhoo.... hope you make your decision and I'm off now to watch McCain's speech... more later :)

Anonymous said...

Mothering is incredibly important. It is a brave, noble, selfless task that I admire more than any other job in the world. However, mothering is not the same as running a country. I respect the fact that she's a champion for special needs kids and their parents. Being a nanny for a special needs child made me appreciate that side of her. However, her ideals and her policies are frightening:


Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq."

Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'"

Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.

Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade."

Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP.

Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest.

Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches.

As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor."

She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."

Anonymous said...

That accidentally sent before I could finish my last paragraph ...

I have a problem with people who say that they want less government in our lives, yet push all of their ideals and values onto the rest of the country. Separation of church and state, freedom of choice, freedom of expression, access to all information and options (sex ed being my example in this case) are what define this country and make it so great. I can't support someone who wants to take those liberties away. From the looks of Sarah Palin's track record, she intends to do just that. I respect her, I admire her, but I cannot support her.

Anonymous said...

And yes, the fact that Exxon is the main supporter of the RNC speaks VOLUMES. Follow the trail down the rabbit hole ... :)

Anonymous said...

Lindsay...is sex ed something that needs to be in school? Isn't that something that should be talked about at home?? I, personally, don't want my kids learning things like that from strangers. I, personally, don't want my kids learning anything from a government run school--that's why I homeschool! Creationism in schools--AWESOME!! Evolution IS NOT fact--it's a THEORY and one that has NEVER been proven. I think it's wonderful that kids be informed (isn't that what you are preaching?) Why can't they be informed about creationism? I can tell that you are a staunch democrat and I can't argue with you for that reason...I know you won't budge. I love what Palin stands for (and doesn't stand for!) The democrats are the ones taking our liberties away--they want a socialist nation--completely dependent on big government--hide and watch if they get into office. McCain and Palin are definitely getting my vote--they are what's best for this country at this time!!!!!

CreativeMish said...

thanks for your insight on the election. I haven't been able to watch any of the convention coverage and am quite confused about alot. I'm not sure I like any of the candidates. It seems like they would rather bash each other than care about our country.

Adventure girl said...

Regardless of what you are: independent, Democrat, Republican or "Vote for the best person" and regardless of how cute, strong, or awesome Sarah my be in some areas..........IT IS very scary when ANY political person is involved with Oil companies. They "buy" political's. Google the damage and disrespect that these big companies do to our planet. They leave behind destruction and poverty. That's not a persnal opinion, that's FACT!
If they would only use a tiny bit of their trillions to put the eco system back into repair when they were finished working there it would be a million times better. They destroy lives, normally poor people lives, by destroying their surroundings and polluting their drinking water. My oldest daughter has traveled the world, in poverty stricken areas and seen this distruction first hand! It is soooo sad!

The Kelso-Winter Family said...

wow! you got us rolling CG! i wish the Dems had nominated someone who is a fireball like sarah palin only even a tiny bit more to the center on sex ed and women's reproductive issues. unfortunately though we are still reliant on oil and right now it's FOREIGN oil so if we can get some domestic oil going it's safer, cheaper and we're less beholden to the russians or OPEC. oh dear...another ramble is coming on...stop stop stop!!!! should be an exciting election now!