No Joy in Mudville

McCasey has struck out. There's no joy in Mudville today after Obama's victory at the polls. A guy down the street has the American flag flying at half-mast on the pole in his front yard. The mood of the males in the locker room at my daily work-out place was somber, unlike the comments disparaging Obama that were floated last Monday. A lady working out on an elliptical trainer next to the one I was using for self-punishment remarked to me that she was fearful of the direction this country would take with Obama in the lead. Glenn Beck, on his morning radio show, said that now was the time to start home-schooling your children, because the public schools had failed to educate the public in the truths of being an American. Otherwise, he mused, how can you explain Obama's victory, except by the ignorance of the mis-guided voters who said, "Yes, We Can". Many other examples of dismay are finding voice. Rush Limbaugh who calls himself the Doctor of Democracy was ranting in circles about Obama's win. Actually, Rush has a PhD (piled higher and deeper) in Demagoguery. A CNN call-in commentor kept repeating the RNC line, apparently not realizing that the sound-bites he uttered were nothing more than campaign rhetoric with no foundation in fact. I'm going to pay attention to the mutterings of those disappointed in the event that brought joy to untold thousands of Americans. When the pain of the conservative faithful becomes too much for them to bear, I'll remind them that it is only a ballgame. They'll get plenty of more chances to strike out in the future, like they did this November 4th.

Pre-Election Musings

Tomorrow is the day when all the hype is done, when the ballots are cast and when the winner is known.

The advertisements have been extraordinary for their hyperbole. In case you don’t know what hyperbole means, it means extravagant exaggeration and that’s what we have. The Republican National Committee is the out-of-control spin-master, like claiming a budget resolution vote by many Democrats (and Republicans, too, but that is forgotten) was a vote for the highest tax increase ever. It doesn’t stop there. Obama is said by the RNC as not ready to lead; and yet he has been the spearhead for one of the best political campaigns ever. If the way he has conducted himself during the campaign is any indication of how he will behave as president, I am satisfied that he will be up to the demands of the office. A remark by Obama to “Joe, the Plumber” that spreading the wealth in the economy was a laudable goal has been twisted into accusations of being a socialist and, by some, a Marxist. The only thing that I fault Obama for is not first asking “Joe” whether the $250,000 revenue he claimed the plumbing business he would buy was gross or net. I suspect it was gross revenue, because a one or two person could generate that much but not enough to earn that kind of taxable income. Just do the math: 250 work days per year times $1,000 billed per day or about $100 per hour including wages, equipment, supplies, travel, etc. That question of gross or net would have exposed Joe as a man without a case for worrying about a tax rate on incomes over $250,000. Too bad the news media people weren’t smart enough to ask that question. I will admit that the McCain campaign made the most of it, but no spin will make up for the VP selection of the “You betcha” gal from Wasilla, AK. If that’s McCain’s idea of judgment, I hope he doesn’t exercise it as President. If McCain’s judgment and erratic behavior in crisis (suspending a campaign to rescue the nation from financial disaster and not contributing a tinker’s damn to the solution) is any indication of how he behave as President, may divine providence help this country in its time of need, because nothing else will save us from his miscues.

If you can’t figure out who I’m voting for, you better re-read the above. Join me at the polls and “Go Obama”.

Tough Talk

On Saturday, May 24th, a letter to the Kansas City Star editor by Marcia Leibold stated, "I'm calling on all Hillary supporters to let the Democratic party know how we feel by voting for John McCain if Hillary is not the nominee." On CNN Friday, a female representative of women for Hillary said much the same thing. If you support Hillary, do you agree with this statement? If you agree with Marcia, please send the message to the Democrats by voting for McCain and, should McCain be elected President, please wear a large button that reads, "I Voted For McCain" over your wounded heart for the next four years. That's the way to take responsibility for your behavior. If you don't agree with doing what Marcia asks of you, you need do nothing except vote for the candidate of your choice, which is the responsible thing to do and requires no further action on your part.

Hiatus

For the past 4 months, I have not made an entry into RealKansas. I have been otherwise occupied. Due to recent events, I am inspired to share my opinions about the treatment of Barack Obama by a news media that mindlessly parrots the statements of those in opposition to him, be they Hillary's Hangers-on or McCain's Misfits. But, wait, is the news media actually mindless? I suspect those who raise spurious, picayune issues about Obama are, in fact, supporters of either H or McM. And, it is possible that they merely reflect racist views. CNN is definitely in the Hillary camp. Fox News is certainly against Obama, although I'm not sure they support McCain. MSNBC is the most inconsistent: their pundits are cautious and their anchors simply read their producers' cue cards, as the latter attempt to fill air time with vacuity. The attacks on Obama, for whatever reason, deserve item-by-item analysis.