As Election Day draws near, I find myself even less sure of our two presidential choices than I did even a month ago. My displeasure with the candidates knows no party bounds; I am thoroughly bipartisan in my disgust.
There is one sticking point for me, which I just can’t seem to get over. My attention is drawn, again and again, to the running mates each has chosen.
This choice of a vice-presidential candidate is an important one. At this point, my concern is not that this person would have to step to the plate and assume the role of commander in chief if something did happen to the president himself, but rather what the choice says about each Presidential candidate’s decision-making ability.
The selection of a running mate is one of the first big decisions that the candidates make before the public. And I, for one, am not impressed.
I would think that there would be a great deal of careful consideration put into this decision. After all, a running mate can make or break a ticket. How come you and I know that, but the person who could be our next president doesn’t?
Exactly what criteria has been used in making these choices? Perhaps it is demographics or political pressures. Because it certainly doesn’t seem to be logic. My concerns continue to grow as the election nears. And I’m not sure which party’s choice has confused me the most.
The media seems to have stayed away from Biden. After all, he’s a little plain vanilla and “Caribou Barbie” is a fairly easy target.
But is Biden really a Democrat? Because he LOOKS like a Republican if you ask me.
There is no doubt that the man has experience in Washington. But having spent something like half his life in the Senate, you’d think he’d know better than to use phrases like “mark my words.” And he should probably refrain from making statements that if his ticket is victorious, our country will “be tested” within six months.
And while the Dems kick McCain’s tires and speculate on whether or not he’s healthy enough to occupy the Oval Office, they’ve gone and picked someone who isn’t exactly a stranger to the ICU himself. A brain aneurysm is scary stuff. And the medical records that Biden has released do not include any brain scans that would indicate whether he’s at risk of another.
On the other side of the coin, we have Sarah Palin. McCain’s version of Hillary? It doesn’t appear to be fooling anyone, including his own party.
The latest scandal is reports of shopping sprees at high-end retailers to outfit Palin and her family for the campaign trail. But have you considered that this was the only way the Republicans could convince her to sign on as McCain’s running mate. Imagine the scenario.
“Governor Palin, how would you like to join the Republican ticket as the vice-presidential candidate?”
“Hmmm, I don’t think so, John. I’m about to be a Grandma and I wouldn’t want my family to go through all of that. And what would I wear?”
“What if we throw in a $75,000 shopping spree at Saks?”
“That’s tempting, John, but I have my pregnant teen-age daughter to think about.”
“Would another 75 thou at Nordstroms change your mind?”
“You betcha!”