More politics, y'all. I know. I'm sorry. I just can't help myself.

So you've probably seen the news, that Obama used the phrase "lipstick on a pig" and the crowd immediately connected it to Palin's acceptance speech, where she talks about lipstick on a pit bull. Obama went on to talk about "old fish", clearly meaning McCain.

So McCain called him on it. And Obama, instead of apologizing, said McCain was acting falsely offended.

Yeah, whatever. I don't care. Are you shocked?

Maybe I'm just cynical, but this is politics. Maybe I'm thinking of old time politics portrayed in movies, or what I've gleaned from reading history books about 19th century America. And you know what? I kind of like it.

No, I don't like the rumors and mudslinging... but... only in America. Candidates can call each other pigs (might not be the wisest move, but go ahead!). Only in 21st century America can every word that falls from their lips be instant gossip fodder. With new media - blogs - and YouTube, so people can see what is not on the nightly news, everything seems to sort itself out.

You might think I'm being hypocritical, in light of my little rant on Biden, stem cells, and disabled children. Biden's remarks, however, were not mudslinging. They were flat out wrong. And, don't expect me to sit back and be quiet when some guy accuses the mother of a special needs child of not caring, because she doesn't support the same therapies as he does.

Bring it on. It's time we see the candidates true colors, the unscripted nominees. It's time we get a real measure of the man.

And you know what? Constant harping on minor offenses makes people tired. It makes them not care. They become mentally disenfranchised. A shame, since there are important, tangible reasons for choosing one candidate over the other. Let's talk about the issues.

I'd love to McCain take Obama on regarding his extreme radical death views - not just abortion, but infanticide and the death penalty for non-capital crimes. How about when he told O'Reilly that Bill could afford paying 39% income tax, when challenged on his tax policy? How elitist! How does Obama know what we can afford? Exactly how much does Obama think he should get paid to consider when life begins? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'd love to hear McCain defend his horrible McCain-Feingold Act, now that he's the one running. Does McCain still support the Real ID act? How's that gonna happen, anyway? I want to know what he plans to do about the housing crisis and the resulting meltdown of the financial markets. I want to know if McCain (and Obama) supported the government takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

I want to hear actual plans for America's future, not white-paper abstracts that are ultimately meaningless. And if I have to wade through the mud to get answers, so be it.

art by Norman Rockwell

Labels: politics