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Tuesday, October 28. 2008
Only Seven Days
It’s been a while since my last post. We were off line for a bit with technical difficulties. My Webmaster ’splained it … but it went in one eyeball and out the other. It’s all Greek to me …So much has happened, so much news, the most explosive being the McCain-Palin ticket imploding! News stories talk about Governor Palin going “rogue” in her campaign stops, going off script to talk about the $150,000.00 worth of clothes …
I’m actually on her side in this. It’s a bullshit story, has nothing to do with the real issues and if the woman wants to wear them, by all means, let her.
What I want her to explain is why she hasn’t yet called for the resignation of Senator Ted Stevens who was just convicted (Monday) on seven counts — felony crimes — for violating election laws. Is she gonna wait until after the election so she can appoint someone instead of giving the Alaskan voters the choice? Actually, he’s been convicted so it’s not likely he’ll win and a replacement is not possible at this late date.There’s the news story from Politico.com that says senior McCain advisors Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace are already blaming Palin for sinking the McCain-Palin ticket, especially because Palin speaks her mind, regardless of what the campaign handlers tell her.
Over the weekend The View co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck went to campaign for Palin — isn’t that weird, she campaigned for Palin, not McCain-Palin — in Florida and the vice presidential candidate took that as a queue to go off on the clothes issue. Campaign aids quickly sent out a memo explaining those were not the remarks sent to her plane.
Hasselbeck had brought up the issue, even after McCain message masters wanted to keep it from coming to the surface. Oops. Hasselbeck, the little hottie that had me watching Survivor all those seasons ago, has gone off on her often nonsensical rants on The View, something the producers like because it makes for good TV and great ratings. So, the little hottie decided to go help Governor Sarah Palin campaign in Florida — bringing up the one issue the campaign wants to bury. She’s still a hottie and … I’ll just keep that to myself …
Sometimes I want to feel sorry for Palin; she is woefully unprepared to run for the office she seeks, let alone occupy the office she aspires to in this campaign and this really falls at the feet of the man who tapped her, John McCain.
On the other hand, Palin should have at least read the part of the Constitution that outlines the duties of the Vice President. It’s just two sentences in Section 3 of Article I. For the governor and anyone else that may not know, here it is, quoted and unedited:
The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
In Article II, section 1 the election of the Vice President is outlined here: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows …
That’s about it. The rest of Article II details the election process and the duties of the president — nothing about the duties of the Vice President. Look it up!
Probably the most embarrassing news for Sarah Palin: recordings of cheering were pumped over the speakers when Palin dropped the puck for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey game. Apparently team owners wanted to drown out any possible booing. They failed. She was booed. Actually, that is really uncalled for. Seriously, it’s a damn sporting event! Why boo any dignitaries? It’s just really bad sportsmanship.
But Sarah Palin is a political animal, a beast and I applaud her for “going rogue” and speaking her mind! She can say some stupid things, funny things and scary things, but at least we get to find out who she is and I agree with several pundits; Sarah Palin will be a major political figure in 2012.
McCain campaign aids say Mitt Romney will be in control of the Republican Party come November 5, but they’re the ones shoving the knives in Palin’s back. They hope Romney is in control, because the base will no doubt support Sarah Palin. She’s one of “them.” Romney is a pretender and if the Republican faithful fall in line behind Palin and the Religious Right, the people spitting on Palin today will pretty much be sitting outside, looking in.
The presidential election is pretty well decided here in California. The Democrats rarely show up to campaign and the Republicans — almost never. This is a solidly blue state, although I live in a solidly red area — San Diego. The big issue in California is Proposition 8, a dreaded ballot initiative. Geez, the ballot initiative is the bane of California’s budget.
Prop 8, as it is called, calls for the California Constitution to officially discriminate against people. Homosexuals to be exact. It would ban them from marrying the people of their choice.
State Attorney General Gerry Brown (yes the former governor and BF of Linda Ronstadt) changed the text of the initiative to reflect exactly what the bill will do. The title: ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
The text of the bill: Changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. Provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Fiscal Impact: Over next few years, potential revenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millions of dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely little fiscal impact on state and local governments.
Proponents of Prop 8 are using fear tactics — that’s their way — but the opponents of Prop 8 are fighting back quite successfully. The fear factor: children will be forced to learn about gay marriage while in primary and elementary school. Really? Where is gay marriage taught in public schools? The pro Prop 8 ads feature people who claim their second grade children were forced to study gay marriage in Massachusetts — but that’s been exposed as a lie.
“Kids, open your ‘I Love Daddy and Daddy’ books! We’re gonna study how Daddy and Daddy love each other! Look at the pictures!”
Word is, the bill will be defeated. No one likes the idea of codifying discrimination and no one in this very libertarian state likes being dictated to by government. And what really puts people off is that this was started by forces outside California, although they now have California sponsors of the bill, several from church leaders in San Diego.
And that’s the other thing: the bill is written specifically to adhere to a particular religious belief, and that certainly violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. If Prop 8 does pass, it will no doubt show up in court.
It’s no coincidence or surprise that the only proponents of Prop 8 are religious groups, including James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. If left to Californians, this bill would never have become a ballot initiative. It would be a great surprise if it was approved.Gotta wonder though, how would banning gay marriage save the institution? One third of those people who are married have been divorced at least once. Will banning gay marriage stop people from divorcing?
Here’s the irony: the current Republican presidential nominee, isn’t much of a Christian (just ask the Christians) and he divorced his first wife only after he started an affair with his current wife. The Arizona senator has admitted to having other extramarital affairs as well. Of her ex-husband’s decision to divorce her, Carol McCain said, “I attribute it more to John turning 40 and wanting to be 25 again than I do to anything else.”
The Religious Right’s favorite president, Ronald Reagan, also divorced one wife to marry another woman. Gotta laugh at the (hypocrisy) irony. Gay marriage ... might actually save the institution of marriage.
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