Nice Guys Finish.......Last?

Firstly, I like this picture. I like how Mccain's mic is round and white, just like him, and Obama's is long and black, just like him. Jes' sayin'.

One of the many things I like about Obama is that he really and truly wants to change the way things are done. I read an interview and article about him back before he was running for president; back when he was saying that he wouldn't run, in fact. It was several years ago and he laid out everything that was wrong with politics and what his philosophy was. It was one of honesty and caring. It was about listening to your opponents respectfully and explaining your opinion with respect to your opponents, always realizing that there is always an opportunity to learn and collect new ideas.

Another thing is his refusal to hit below the belt. This may also be his downfall. The Republicans are hitting so far below the belt it's nauseating. They are spinning so many lies and diverting people with such crap it would be laughable if half the country weren't actually buying it.

Obama comes out and says we've got to change this country around from what it has become these last four years. OK, not exactly groundbreaking, but effective. He has shown his ability and desire to do good. He began to gain huge popularity because people liked what he wanted to do. McCain painted him as arrogant and messianic. They actually painted his popularity as a bad thing. Can you imagine? They told the people, "You like him too much." We should have tried that trick with Reagan back in 1980...remember, back when every election didn't hinge on one goddamn county in one goddamn state?


Obama was raised by a poor, single mom. He was taught to give and help people. He became a community organizer, helping communities help themselves and rise out of dispair. McCain's campaign stresses "service," yet at the RNC, Palin and Giulinai both openly mocked Obama's community activism. The sight of these rich white people laughing at the idea of communities in desperation trying to take back their lives...ugh, it just makes me fucking ill.

He rose up and went to Yale. McCain says he's an elitist, out of touch with regular folk. Really? It's now a bad thing to smart and popular? It's not elitist to be really smart and intellectual. It's what you want in a president; someone smarter than you!

McCain comes out and paints himself as an agent for change. He says only he and Sarah Palin are qualified to make actual change and that Obama is offering more of the same. We've had 8 years of disasterous Republican rule after 8 years of fantastic Democratic rule. How would it be change if we kept Republicans in? Why would we invite in the very people who wreaked so much havoc in the first place? Well, McCain says he's different. Different-er than Obama? Seriously? And with that VP of yours? The God-crazy, book-banning, prayer-in-schooling, war-mongering, pro-life, abstinence-teaching, creationist? She's DIFFERENT??!? She is the Rightest Wingnut in the freaking world! That is NOT change!

She is playing every side of the gender card. Remember when Hillary was running and getting pummeled and all the Republicans said, "We're not gonna treat you nicely just because you're a girl!" Now that Palin's in the same spot, the Republicans are saying "You're picking on her just because she's a girl!" Goddamn hypocrites.

She out and out lied when she said she rejected the pork spending for her Road To Nowhere. Just up and lied. She said she sold the jet she inherited from her former governor on Ebay for a profit. No, she sold it to a private buyer and lost money. The Republicans just say whatever they want, regardless of the facts, and people just accept it. It's staggering. In referring to the Republicans' false call for change, Obama said

"You know, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." ... "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called 'change,' it's still gonna stink after eight years. We've had enough of the same old thing! It's time to bring about real change to Washington. And that's the choice you've got in this election."

The Republicans are actually convincing people that this was a sexist slight about Palin. They want you to believe Obama would go out there and call the opponent a pig. This phrase has been used for god knows how many years. Freaking McCain HIMSELF used it to dismiss Hillary Clinton's health care plan! Same goddamn situation, but Democrats are normal enough not to see the attack spin potential in that phrase.

McCain wants to cut everyone's taxes, but his cuts would basically help the wealthiest most and poorest almost not at all. Obama's cuts would tax the wealthiest MORE and give more to the poor.

McCain's Vice President pick is Sarah Palin, who believes abstinence-only education is best and she would give no support to sex ed programs. Is she for real? Her teenage daughter got pregnant. Her life will never be the same. Maybe if she and Levi was taught to use a condom. Obviously, abstinence-only education doesn't stop kids from having sex. So both sides have basically declared family off-limits. But what do you think would have happened if one of Obama's kids was a pregnant teenager? Think McCain would stay away? Or do you think he would attack viciously? We'll never know, because it will never happen.

Speaking of which, Obama supported a grade-appropriate sex-ed program in schools, in which kindergartners would learn about "bad-touching" and "stranger danger," etc. McCain put out this unbelievably low and disgusting ad which insinuated that Obama wanted to teach Kindergarteners the best fellatio techniques. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but not much:



I mean, even McCain's campaign knows this is bullshit, meant to paint Barack Obama as a sex-crazed loony-tune.

The problem here is that Obama is playing it nice (relatively). Unlike McCain and Palin, he's not lying about his past or his present. He's not putting out ads, accusing McCain of leaving his disabled first wife for a hot young rich thing, even though he did. He's playing it cool and smart. Meanwhile the Republicans throw every piece of shit they can at him and if he dares to explain why McCain is full of shit, he's "playing defense."

Obama's in a tough spot. He's committed himself to running like a gentleman, but the opponent has a horseshoe in his glove. If Obama complains, he looks weak. If he uses McCain-type tactics against McCain, he'll have sold his soul and McCain will turn around and point and say "Look how low he fights!"

I jut hope the debates will be a replay of Nixon/Kennedy, with the young, good-looking well-spoken Democrat up against the sweaty, stammering old Republican.

This is it, people. We are in for a scary ass coupla weeks. Buckle Up.