After the last presidential debate the San Diego Union-Tribune waxed romantically about how serene Mitt Romney appeared to be and all I could think was:
What kind of HD do they have that can make a man who looked like he had chugged some unsweetened lemon juice, seem to be serene?
Wearing an expression on your face that’s like a cross between a smile and a grin – a “smin” perhaps – is not a picture of serenity. A bit too Cheshire Cat for me.
They followed that up by citing a poll that showed that 60 out of a 100 voters thought Romney had looked credible, aka pretty good, on national security and I wondered “Should these people be voting?”
Which one of his approaches to national security have they latched on to? His: “Hey, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, if I hear you even say ‘Nuclear’ I’m going to go upside your head!” attitude? Or his (pointing to Obama) “What he just said” stance? Is the man now in love with the president? We got something latent going on here?
Then, in a manner that was in no way serene, the U-T started chest bumping and fist pumping in behalf of their boy with “Bring it on – and bring change to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!”
Change? Change from what? Change from one “trickle down” con game to another? Change back to the way every ex-president has looked in our history? Mitt even looks a little like Thomas Jefferson. What kind of change is that?
They must have been trying to appeal to the “undecided” among us, people who would, I guess, find it troublesome trying to determine whether or not they should light their heater on a 30 below zero degrees day.
Undecided about what? What would one of the candidates have to do for these people to earn an X next to his name? Fix a parking ticket? Scratch their back? Pick up the check at Mickey D’s?
It seems logical to me that we have no choice, in this moment in time, other than to consider which one of these guys will, when all is said and done, make the world a little better for everyone. And Mitt Romney, serene or otherwise, doesn’t qualify to be the guy.
I mean Romney is stuck on marriage as only between a man and a woman and Obama stands tall for marriage equality. That takes us a bit closer to a loving respectful society, the way America should be.
Neither Obama or Romney has spoken to us about our poor, our people who live in the streets, the people who still fear losing their homes, the biggest symbol of the “American Dream,” in any deep thoughtful personal way. It’s been in political language about the economy and the “need for jobs” and a bunch of other blah-blah-blah. But Obama has tasted what it’s like to not have much and he’s walked the streets in the inner city of Chicago, helping people cope and feel they belong. That, I would hope, would give him the edge in this campaign.
I simply don’t trust Mitt Romney. When I heard him say “Latin America is a fine opportunity for us” I thought, oh, oh, cuidado, mis amigos. The man will put on a brown face and talk to you like you’re his favorite people in the human race and whatever you thought you had would be gone. Recuerdas Bain? There were all kinds of opportunities in that flurry of capitalistic insensitivity. For Romney and his homies. Verdad?
Plus who knows what’s going to come out of the man’s mind and mouth at any given time as he changes directions like an elusive running back juking the defense after busting through the line and everything is so easy for him. Oh, he’s going to stifle the “rising tide of chaos” and get the Middle East to “reject terrorists” like all it takes is a little American ingenuity with a touch of flashy sabre twirling and trash talking with a big stick – he does like obsolete weapons. And, voila, Iran is nuclear and bad guy free, causing no problems, just as real as one can sail from Syria out to the open sea which reminds me that I’d like my president to have a little more knowledge of geography when it comes to relating to other countries.
And the man wants to charge Iran with war crimes because of their history of genocide – while a man who lied and sent our kids off to “make a difference” in a horrible “Shock and Awe” Show walks free? Have there been many war crimes more egregious than that unmerciful spree?
He spoke of peace, about promoting it throughout the world, but he voiced such thoughts as though it was an after thought, like a sentence filler, just words to win a moment in a debate, like: “The mantle of leadership for promoting the principles of peace has fallen to America. We didn’t ask for it. But it’s an honor that we have it.”
It is, indeed, an honor and that mantle has been in America’s court for many years now, carried out in various ways, from the use of arms way too many times to the use of diplomacy, not enough times, and at this juncture in the journey towards bringing about peace, with the world teetering dangerously economically, and warriors always at the ready, I don’t see Mitt Romney as the man to take us the next step of the way. No way. He doesn’t seem serene or credible enough to be a president for all the people, definitely not the 47 percent whom he sees as deadbeats.
There it is. Barack Obama is the only choice that makes sense to me. Anybody with me?
Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Ernie McCray
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Looks like the Republicans took the campaign (probably have taken all campaigns) so far negative that the election will be decided by money. Whichever party has enough to buy polls and those last minute avalanches of ads is the party that will win. Money became the official and legal qualification for candidates after the Citizens United decision. Think of how often you’re pitched the need for money, no matter how poor you are, how clearly progressive your politics. The only thing more money can do is work its way back to its origins, which is the politics industry at this moment. The best you can hope money will do is strike a deal with itself, producing the “too-close-to-call” polling that produces another round of desperate calls for more contributions.
And if the election is hung on that “dead heat” hook Big Media has burdened us with, then money will decide the outcome in that case, as well. The GOP has established the voter fraud movement as one of its firewalls; they’ll contest the narrow victories of Obama in so-called swing states and battleground states and hang the election up further with vote recounts and, later, lawsuits aimed at the registrars. These are thugs in expensive suits, nothing more, nothing less. They live on abstracted fear and direct intimidation.
There’s probably some path out of this sordid, weird mess we’re in, but it better be cultural. The political battle is already lost. Vote. Vote for Obama, because he’s an icon for decency, understanding, competence, empathy, in other words a symbolic human being. Mitt Romney is an icon for money, RawMoney, Romney Money. But be prepared to see him “win.” Then, after the debacle maybe we can start talking reality about power.
Talking “reality about power.” Now, there’s a conversation way overdue.
Well… If you don’t like either of the above named candidates for President, you can always vote for Rosanne Barr… Yep… There she is, right there, printed on my ‘Official’ San Diego County mail-in ballot….
Maybe this is payback for ‘murdering’ the Star Spangled banner in front of 36,000 + Padre Baseball fans a few years back…. Somebody, please tell me how this person got on the ballot and a person of high integrity like Ron Paul did not… Please !
As a famous Western singer once crooned:…. “Stop the world and let me off”
Now I think I know how he felt… : )
Signed…
Dave Beekman
Spring Valley Ca
619-697-3571
Hey, don’t talk about Roseanne too loud for she will kick your bootay (smile). She got on the ballot by aligning herself with an alternate party. Ron could do the same thing but those parties are jokes to our citizenry. I like one of the candidates very much, Jill Stein. Green Party I think. But we’ve got a choice between two major folks that can’t be taken lightly. For one thing I’d like to see Obama in a second term if for no other reason than to see if there’s more of him he’d like to reveal, especially since he won’t have to run again. As to Romney I’ve never seen a man so far from anything I believe. Catch you later. How ’bout those wildcats? Huh? Must be some happy people in Tucson.
That’s why I love the freedom of living in a state that doesn’t matter in the general election – you can still root for Obama, but vote for Stein if you like her and want to send the message that third parties deserve a voice. Your vote helps little candidates like Stein, but a non-vote can’t hurt Obama because the underworld will resemble Cleveland in December before Romney can think about carrying CA.
Hmmmm. Thanks for that insight.
It’s more than a bit late but if you have not heard of him – google rocky anderson and hit the wickipedia therein …
stan levin
a member of veterans for peace …. you could google that as well
I shall google forth.
If you don’t vote, they can steal the election. If you do vote, they can steal the election.
So many Latin Americans have died cursing The United Fruit Company. Now Romney
wants more of that. Aaayeeeee.
Aaayeeeee, is right.
How did the United Fruit Company get into this conversation ?
Signed..
Chiquita Banana…: )
We’re talking a company that monopolized big time in the Americas south of us, establishing “Banana Republics.”