The Calm After the Storm

I am much more calm four days after the announcement. As Julie has said, my initial reaction was emotional. She has a good point - a very good point. I am not as insulted as I was on Friday, but I am vehemently opposed to this decision.

I could not agree more with a reader of The Daily Dish. This choice speaks less about Palin herself than it does about McCain's decision-making process. Or how much he had to say about the decision. In his world, I firmly believe that Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman would be his VP candidate or choice. But since he is now exposed to the GOP puppetmasters, the man can no longer speak his own mind or make his own decisions.

His handlers need to let him be who he is. He needs to be the maverick he was eight years ago. So his pisses of the fundamentalists. So he upsets the party base. If they are that upset, they should have found a different candidate as their presumptive nominee. It is too late to not support the person who has ostensibly won the party's nomination. Try harder next time, okay?

How did the GOP get to this point?

Another thing - I thought "it's the economy, stupid" take two, but apparently it is the republican base and the Hillary-because she's a woman-voters. I wonder if either campaign was able to put forth a coherent economic plan, if we would be having these discussions about Palin or Obama or Biden or McCain.

Flabbergasted

Irate. Incensed. Insulted.

These all describe my thoughts and feelings about the GOP's choice in VP. Let's get this right - it is the GOP's choice, not the presumptive nominee's choice. This move shows so many things: desperation, manipulation, pandering.

As a woman, as a voter, as a U.S. citizen, I am incensed. Just because I am a working mom with two kids does not mean I identify with this person any more than I identified with Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Just because I have a vagina does not mean I want the history making campaign to fall for the women over the minorities.

As a person, I want to be assured that those people leading our country are qualified and represent my interests - economically, environmentally, socially.

I am outraged that this move is designed to make me look at the GOP party in a new light. It makes me look at it with disgust. It made me firmly decide for the Obama / Biden ticket. I can be manipulated, but do not make it so obvious.

I have read on various sites that this is disingenuous, a hail-mary pass, a last ditch effort to appeal to the Christian right, to women, to middle America. But none of it is designed to appeal to my intellect.

This decision just became a no-brainer.

Meet the Press - what happens now?

What are your thoughts?

Here is some food for thought.

DH and I were talking about it and he would like to see Chris Matthews. I mentioned Chuck Todd or David Gregory. We both brought up using Tom Brokaw for a short time and we both liked the idea of Andrea Mitchell. And I personally love the idea of Gwen Ifill.

Tim Russert, RIP

Tim Russert dies at age 58. I just heard this on MSNBC News, Tom Brokaw's voice breaking and gradually growing deeper, full of emotion. A journalistic icon has passed and he will be missed.

Good Things Tuesday

Nathan learned to tie his shoes yesterday, thanks to one of the teachers in after-care. Thank you so much, Mrs. W! He even tied his own shoes this morning. I worried that he would not be able to do it this morning, we were rushed and I slowed myself down enough to let him have the time to do it right. And he did. And it was faster than anticipated.

I had a good 6 mi run this morning and a nice, easy pace, each mile faster than the previous, but not a speed workout and not a tempo run. Tomorrow is hill repeats. Yuck.

My parents arrive today to take care of the kids while I join W in Cali for a holiday / celebrate 7 year anniversary. He is already there for a class. We will be in the area of where we were married and I am quite excited. I am a wee bit anxious about leaving the kids and my parents having sole responsibility, but they raised my brother and me and they are a bit older, but they are also more patient now than they were then. All should be good. Nathan is quite excited as he loves gpa's pancakes and the fact that my parents play games with him.

Now, if only Indiana and North Carolina end up on Obama's side, I would have the perfect day.

Hillary as Anti-Feminist

Camille Paglia's article in the Telegraph, Why Women Shouldn't Vote for Hillary is well written and well argued case of why women should not vote for Hillary Clinton simply based on gender. It does not address the issues of the candidates and whether Clinton's positions are meritorious, but it fully addresses the issue of feminism and the argument of women not voting for a fellow woman as a traitorous act.

More than anyting, I appreciate that I had to refer to the dictionary four times when reading the article. When was the last time you had to do that? To read an article that assumes I am intelligent is almost a novelty sometimes.

Rocky Refigured

Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish brought this to my attention.

Barack as Rocky. Just hearing that song makes my juices flow.