Just to Think About

I clicked over to the Daily Show to watch its most-watched-ever clip, of Barack Obama, where he said, "The whole socialism argument, that doesn't fly too well. The evidence of this seems pretty thin. I said today that I think they found proof that when I was in kindergarten I shared some toys with my friends...."

This comment (by bill on October 31st at 10:47PM) really stood out:

"Just to think about.

Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?…..think about it.

Would the country’s collective point of view be different?

Ponder the following:

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn’t read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama’s family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Education isn’t everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call."

(I kind of hope that was Bill Clinton posting that!)

Obama vs. McCain: Three for Three

The debates are over, and I thought this was the best of them. I don't think the side-by-side at the round table format served McCain so well, showing viewers his shaking hands and that perpetual thumbs up.

He seemed so palpably relieved at the end, when he thumped Obama and pumped his hand, saying "Good job! Good job!" I get the feeling that he'll be relieved in November, too, when this is over for him – he doesn't seem up to the enormous challenges.

Too often McCain, in this and the other debates, tried to gain traction by attacking Obama, raving vaguely about this or that. It has been impressive to see how cool, calm, and collected Obama remains: coming back on point with clear sentences, facts and clarifications – force, lucidity, and ease. Flashing a grin at the occasional attack absurdity, and then regaining his serious countenance. Refusing to take the bait. For this he gets called "flat" by some of the pundits, who seem to relish the prospect of more Jerry Springer-style TV.

This unflappability is one of Obama's most attractive features: his steady calm invites intelligent interaction rather than emotional bluster. McCain's darting tongue and self-satisfied sneers and grins add too much erratic static to the conversation: whether it's with voters, Joe Plumber, Joe 6-Pack, or in future conversation with Putin, should he "rear his head." We sorely need someone with a different conversational demeanor.

I hate to dwell so much on personal appearance, but I do think this points to deeper issues, born out by McCain's self-definition as "maverick." I looked up "maverick" on Wikipedia, and here's what I learned:

Samuel Augustus Maverick (July 23, 1803–September 2, 1870) was a Texas lawyer, politician, land baron and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His name is the source of the term "maverick", first cited in 1867, which means independent minded. Maverick was considered independent minded by his fellow ranchers because he refused to brand his cattle. In fact, Maverick's failure to brand his cattle had little to do with independent mindedness, but reflected his lack of interest in ranching. He is the grandfather of U.S. Congressman Maury Maverick, who coined the term gobbledygook (1944).

Hmmm...the connection to Texas and gobbledygook seems very apropos.

I enjoyed clicking into Daughter Number Three's play-by-play of the debate, and especially liked this laugh-out-loud observation at 9:25, quoting McCain: "The same opportunity you and I and Cindy and your wife have had." Guess McCain is for same-sex marriage after all.'

And I thought Hillary was outstanding in her after-debate comments on CNN. Interesting how she insisted that she wants to remain in the Senate: she'll be the lioness of the Senate now.