Dumbing down

Unfortunately, I see masses of dumb people heading to the polls on November 4th and voting for the wrong presidential candidate and his equally wrong vice-presidential candidate.

From CNN.com:

"Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons ... Do it for your country," conservative columnist and former Palin fan Kathleen Parker of Nationalreview.com pleaded on Friday.

In defense, Republicans say the complaints are coming from "intellectual" conservatives -- not Main Street Republicans, who they insist love the "hockey mom," from Alaska, as Palin describes herself.

"These are the folks that really have responded to the candidacy of a McCain-Palin ticket. These are the folks that are showing up in huge numbers, tens of thousands, to the rallies," Leslie Sanchez, a CNN political contributor, said.

First of all, "intellectual conservative" is an oxymoron.

(Sorry. I had to get that out of my system.)

Second, that bolded statement shows both great strategic insight and a depressing realization: The Republicans do a great job of dumbing things down to reach their armless constituents. There are people out there who blindly pick a candidate simply because of the ticket or banner they run under, even if the candidate's policies end up putting them at a disadvantage.

The fact that this is even the case, that some people are so uninformed, with no reason or desire to become informed, that they will actually vote for a person, a party, or an ideology that limits or even oppresses them, is truly depressing and discouraging.

My wife, a staunch proponent of women's rights, argues that no woman should ever vote for a conservative candidate, as it's basically a vote against self-interest. The thought of a woman deciding for herself what her life should be like is just too much for conservatives to process.

She's right. But it's that blinding tie to ideology that continues this cycle.

Ideology is a heavy weight to shake once you have it. As my old professor, Dr. Bill Thompson once said, "Gang, ideology will get you killed."

He also said that "65 percent of the U.S. population has shit for brains."

Let's hope the masses forget to vote on Nov. 4.

The definition of cool

Cool as the characters he portrayed, cool as steel blue of his eyes, and cool as the humble, giving and talented person he was.

Very few others reached Paul Newman's level of cool, and even less will achieve that ever again. Rest in peace, Mr. Newman, and thank you for all you've done.

Two of my favorite movie scenes of all time.

Getting the Low Down

As always, Dave Letterman knows the deal.

Veal piccata. Lovely.

Vote, Dammit!

I'm voting for Barack Obama. I don't think that's a secret, given the content of many of the posts on this blog, and the image above. I suspect a fair amount of my readers are favoring Senator Obama as well.

But right now, I'm not stumping for Senator Obama. I'm stumping for the democratic process.

You need to vote. You must vote. Even I don't agree with who you are voting for, it's important that you vote and let your voice be heard!

Now, let's hope the actual voting machines/process works and is legit.

The links below go to an Obama site where you can register. If you have no desire to use these links, make sure you contact your local DMV or other voter registration facility and get registered to vote!

Register to vote

Learn about voting information in your state

The cutest song you will ever hear

The smile on my daughter's face when she hears this song makes it worthwhile to hear it 28 times in a row.

Ageism and Public Service

I understand this is a tricky situation here. I've known people who experienced serious cases of ageism in the workplace, and it's wrong. If a person can do a job, then they should be allowed to do that job.

However.

In regards to the supposed "leader of the free world," I am going on record as saying that John McCain is too old and his health too much in question for him to be elected President of the United States. I would say this even if his running mate was Bill Clinton, George Bush, Mitt Romney, Joe Lieberman or Mike Huckabee.

The fact that his choice for Vice President can run a hell of a PTA meeting, gut a moose and govern a state with more reindeer than people makes my belief even stronger.

Here's the facts, Jack.

I don't think these are facts that can be spun or otherwise made to be positive. Just my opinion. I could be wrong. I'm getting old, you know.

Brilliant

If you haven't seen the Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL, you've got to watch this. Bloody brilliant.

If you have seen it, watch it again.

I hope Palin is flattered. Tina Fey nailed this impersonation.