First, it’s the Palin-Biden debate tonight. I can’t wait to see what happens. Can Sarah redeem herself after her awful interviews with Katie Couric, the second part of which is even worse than the first? Can Joe refrain from ripping apart a hockey mom on live television or taking his foot and putting it in his mouth in front of the nation?
Speaking of Palin. From Reason online today: “Americans disdain snobbery in all its forms except the most popular one: reverse snobbery. Joe Biden would never get up in front of a crowd and suggest that the citizens of Manhattan are morally superior to the residents of Possum Gulch, Ark. But Sarah Palin was happy to tell the Republican National Convention that the very best people come from the country.” It’s true, and represents the natural tendency of people to support an underdog.
By the way, an LA Times editorial today opines: “Sarah Palin is the product of a design flaw — the unintended consequence of the founders’ decision to create the vice presidency. …. The founders messed up. We should do away with the office.” Ha!
And Obama is as popular as ever; my money’s on him becoming the next president of the United States. I was browsing my Dish Network channel lineup this morning before leaving for work and came across the Obama Channel – no kidding. There’s even an Obama for America iPhone app! He’ll be the next president, and then we’ll figure out he doesn’t have a fucking clue what he’s doing.
Meantime, McCain is decrying the earmarks in the financial bailout plan, which is the most sensible thing he’s ever said. The rescue bill is “larded with pork”, which makes me madder than ever. Bush’s original proposed bill was 3 pages long, and it now runs to over 400 pages including all manner of shit the government has no business doing, let alone having the audacity to append it to one of the most serious, consequential bills in US fiscal history. They’ve added $150 billion in pet projects: an elimination of excise taxes on wooden arrows for children, safety equipment for mining, tax credits for businesses which employ American Indians, incentives for investment in Washington D.C., reducing import duties on wool, reducing taxes on filmmaking, tax credits for workers commuting by bicycle, increasing cover of excise tax revenues on rum in the Virgin Islands. I. Shit. You. Not. Agree with this.
Finally, we should all be forced by our governments to eat a maximum of four portions of meat per week, according to these assholes. As a protest of this kind of thinking, I’m going to double the amount of meat I’m currently eating: it’s 90 degrees for another month here along the Colorado River and perfect weather for grilling burgers outdoors on my deck.