Sanjaya and the 2008 Election

When this cover ran in London four years ago, I printed it, framed it and hung it in the kitchen. I shared the astonishment of the Brits. I still do.

I was raised to believe that Americans were bigger, better, stronger, smarter, and everything else -er than other countries. I suppose little kids in every country are taught that about their fellow countrymen.

But I am sadly coming to the realization that not only are we NOT smarter than other people, we are pretty much dumber than most people. Not all of us, but enough of us to change the shape of the world I grew up in.

Have we learned nothing from the Bush administration, from the tactics they have used? Have we not paid attention as our freedoms have been stripped away, our children sent off to die, our Constitution trampled under the heavy boots marked "homeland security"?

There is a marvelous column by Bob Herbert in the New York Times today. It begins:

While watching the Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson Thursday night, and the coverage of the Palin phenomenon in general, I’ve gotten the scary feeling, for the first time in my life, that dimwittedness is not just on the march in the U.S., but that it might actually prevail.

How is it that this woman could have been selected to be the vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket? How is it that so much of the mainstream media has dropped all pretense of seriousness to hop aboard the bandwagon and go along for the giddy ride?

For those who haven’t noticed, we’re electing a president and vice president, not selecting a winner on “American Idol.”

As Palin-mania continues to grow, I am faced for the first time since this race began with the fear that the voters really might elect this team. She's become the Sanjaya of the election--someone totally out of her league, but whom people find so intriguing they keep bringing her back over and over again.

I do a lot of web surfing, read a lot of blogs, read comments in blogs, and I am appalled at the blatant disinterest in this election.

"I don't really pay attention to it," said one person

"I don’t really care. I feel like no matter who I choose they are all in it for themselves anyway," wrote another.

"Borrring" is a comment I've seen several times.

What does it take to wake people up? Do those "bored" people watch things like Charlie Gibson's interview? I was appalled at the Republican talking heads who were dancing jigs at how "well" she did. I was amused that my immediate mental image was of that Miss America contestant to rattled off nonsense words. The next night that's the clip that Keith Olbermann opened his show with.

I admit I couldn't explain the Bush doctrine to you, but I'm not running for the second highest office in the land. She thinks Iraq is responsible for 9/11. She gets her knowledge about Russia because you can see it from Alaska. And while her family may be off limits for criticism, this is an excellent piece about the birth of little Trig, which brings into question not necessarily how she raises her children, but her reasoning and judgement which are certainly things we need to consider in picking someone to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Herbert ends his column with: "John McCain, who is shameless about promoting himself as America’s ultimate patriot, put the best interests of the nation aside in making his incredibly reckless choice of a running mate. But there is a profound double standard in this country. The likes of John McCain and George W. Bush can do the craziest, most irresponsible things imaginable, and it only seems to help them politically."

American Idol voters did finally vote Sanjaya off before the end of the contest. Let's hope American presidential voters wake up before this thing is over and realize what a disaster this ticket is and vote McCain-Palin off before it's too late for this country.

I don't want to have to post another Daily Mirror cover in my kitchen.

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I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* 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 teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.