American politics, 2008

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2008
American politics, 2008
10
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 1:22am

*If you're a minority and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a 'token hire.'  If you're a conservative and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a 'game changer.'


*Black teen pregnancies? A 'crisis' in black America. White teen pregnancies? A 'blessed event.'

 *If you grow up in Hawaii you're 'exotic.' Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're the quintessential 'American story.'

 *Similarly, if you name your kid Barack you're 'unpatriotic.' Name your kid Track, you're 'colorful.'

 *If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting the individual you're 'reckless.' A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a 'maverick.'

 *If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000 to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new African American voters, spend 12 years as a constitutional law professor, then spend nearly 8 more years as a state senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming chairman of the state senate's Health and Human Services committee, then spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you are woefully inexperienced.

 *If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as the governor of a state with 650,000 people, then you've got the most executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and are well qualified to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so because your state is the closest state to Russia.

 *If you are a Democratic male candidate who is popular with millions of people you are an 'arrogant celebrity'. If you are a popular Republican female candidate you are 'energizing the base'.

 *If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself and makes his own decisions you are presumptuous'. If you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions you refuse to explain, you are a 'shoot from the hip' maverick.

 *If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are 'an elitist-out of touch' with the real America. if you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis, with multiple disciplinary infractions, you are a hero.

 *If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you are an 'empty suit'. If you are a part time mayor of a town of 7000 people, you are an 'experienced executive'.

 *If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are 'extremist'. If you believe in creationism and don't believe global warming is man made, you are 'strongly principled'.

 *If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian. If you have been married to the same woman with whom you've been wed to for 19 years and raising two beautiful daughters with, you're 'risky'.

 *If you're a black single mother of 4 who waits for 22 hours after her water breaks to seek medical attention, you're an irresponsible parent, endangering the life of your unborn child. But if you're a white married mother who waits 22 hours, you're spunky.

 *If you're a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you 'First dog.' If you're a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you 'beautiful' and 'courageous.'


What happened to the integrity of the American people?  Are we really that pathetic that we allow this to happen?  Apparently so because this is what has happened and what is happening right now!  This is not only insane...it is not what Americans should be reflecting to the world at large.  Unfortunately that is exactly what they are seeing.  This is not what I call a "world leader".


 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2007
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 1:34am
I think your outrage is misplaced. It's not the integrity of the American people that is at fault; it's the intergrity of the American mainstream press that
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 1:40am

You may think so but I don't.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2007
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 1:44am
Really? Compromise huh? Where do we compromise on habeas corpus, pre-emptive military strikes,
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 1:57am

(((What happened to the integrity of the American people? Are we really that pathetic that we allow this to happen? )))

No. McCain and his tactics are pathetic. Americans know it. Americans want a capable POTUS. Not another GOP puppet. There are only a select few that really believe that GOP crap. Actions speak volumes over words and titles.

Ugly spin is still spin no matter who is doing it... Maverick or "hero" -they are just words and titles now that McCain has sold out to the smear machine that he once spoke out against. Desperate times called for smear tactics in the McCain camp.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 2:06am

Look...obviously there are some issues that are not acceptable but there are certainly mainstream issues we can compromise on.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 2:11am
Last time I looked but Republicans were Americans too.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2007
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 2:16am

I am primarily dismayed at many Americans' lack of common sense and discernment in seeing what is fact vs. fiction.


I couldn't agree with you more, but that's not the fault of American citizens. It's the fault of the American mainstream press that is supposed to report fact. How should Americans discern fact from ficition when we have such an abysmal mainstream press? Are you arguing the mainstream media functions appropriately? Do you

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 2:22am

((Whether or not, they have the majority remains to be seen.))

This speaks to my point. They are not 51%, as far as we know, thank GOD!!! lol.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 2:32am
Where did this landslide of liberal propaganda come from? Granted, I only gave it it's due, which was a cursory scan, but even then I couldn't find a single fact among the hatred.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 2:11pm

The mainstream press are Americans too.