Am I The Only One Who Suspects This Election May Be Fixed?

Not one to be quick to buy into conspiracy theories, I have always been hesitant to believe the phrase "Presidents are SELECTED, not ELECTED." At the same time, I've never underestimated what the government is capable of. I just never wanted to believe that, as much as we talk about how important it is to vote, that in reality, our vote doesn't matter. It is an incredibly depressing idea that, despite the fact we live in a so-called "democracy," our fate is entirely out of our hands. If the powers that be want something to happen, they will make it happen. There is nothing we can do about it. Why would anyone WANT to believe that?

Unfortunately, with every passing day, I become more and more cynical ... and I was cynical enough to start. Every day, the Republicans strategy seems more and more foolish, ineffective, and obvious. It has become painfully clear that they offer no real changes from the failed Bush policies, so they have shifted their strategy to highlighting things that are completely irrelevant and have nothing to do with whether or not one would make a good President. For instance, McCain continues to talk about his time as a POW. We can all acknowledge that his efforts during Vietnam make him worthy of our respect, but how do they make him worthy of being our nation's leader? He rarely speaks of what he will do to improve the economy, the environment, health care, etc. Instead, he spends his time attacking his opponent and touting his war accomplishments, thus deflecting attention away from the fact that he offers no change. More importantly, this strategy also deflects attention away from the fact that his VP choice was completely horrible.

This is a perfect segue into the issue that confuses me the most. How are the Republicans getting away with their blatant hypocrisy? How is this race still so close? How come these OBVIOUS atrocities are not being pointed out in the media? Let's start with Sarah Palin. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the Republicans started their attacks on Obama by saying that he was young and inexperienced. Then, they select a hockey mom from Alaska as their VP. They talked about Obama's lack of foreign policy experience, yet they select a VP who didn't get her passport until 2007. The Republicans would NEVER have let this sort of foolishness fly if the Democrats were doing the same thing. If the Dems selected a VP like Palin, would they accept "He/She is tough because he/she has 5 kids!" as a reason to justify the person's lack of experience? Of course not! Yet, they continue to use this same poor reasoning to justify their abysmal selection. Even worse, this sorry attempt at covering her inadequacies is not being pointed out either by the Dems or the media. It is also no secret that the selection of Palin was a feeble attempt to pander to the Hillary Clinton supporters and try to win them over to McCain's side. How come nobody is pointing out that Palin stands for everything that Clinton opposed? Palin is a gun-toting conservative. She's a religious nut that thinks invading Iraq was an order from God, and is opposed to abortion in all cases, including rape and incest. Why is this not all over the news? The Clinton supporters would probably stick with Obama, that's why.

Secondly, let's look at the fact that her 17 year old unmarried daughter is pregnant. Conservative Republicans would NEVER stand for this! Yet, for some reason, they are reaching for reasons to justify it. "It's so great that she's not aborting the baby!" If Obama had a pregnant unwed 17 yr old daughter, they would be going to town. On a side note, I am disappointed in the Democrats that they are not doing just that. Yes, Obama has been more aggressive. Yes, he has attacked the Republicans and forced them to have to answer to their mistakes. Yet I am still disappointed that he has not gone hard at them on their hypocrisy.

This is an excerpt from Levi Johnston's Myspace page. Levi Johnston is the father of 17 yr old Bristol Palin's baby.

"I'm a fuckin redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes. But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some shit and just fuckin chillin I guess. Ya fuck with me I'll kick ass."

Do you think that if Barack Obama had a 17 yr old daughter who was pregnant by a thug who had words like this on his Myspace page, that the Republicans would let this slide? Why aren't the Dem's pointing these things out? Why do the polls continue to show an increase in McCain's support, despite these things?

This brings me back to my opening point: Are elections fixed? Everything SHOULD be shaping up for the Democrats to win this year. The Republicans have nominated an old man, a man who would be the oldest President in history to start a first term. He appears to embody all of the characteristics of President Bush, a man who, when it's all said and done, will probably go down as one of, if not the worst, President in history. They have nominated a woman who, were the Democrats to nominate someone similar, would certainly spell doom. To top it all off, they are facing a man who is probably the most popular Presidential candidate in history. Yet, somewhere, there are McCain supporters quietly lurking. Somehow, the polls remain even. All of this seems to be very similar to how Bush got elected and re-elected. To this day, I can't find very many serious Bush supporters. He is ridiculed throughout the media and all across the country. Comedians, actors, musicians, talk show hosts...they all seem to agree that Bush is, and always has been, an awful President. Yet, somehow, the man was elected...twice! Now, we have a similar situation in which it seems as if everyone is a Barack Obama supporter. He's the most popular politician in history, yet today it was reported that McCain actually took the lead in the polls. Where are all these McCain supporters? Have any of you ever met one?

If McCain is elected, I will seriously have to rethink everything I thought I knew about this country and politics. I will seriously become concerned for my personal well-being because I will know for sure that we the people have no power. If the government wants something done, they will do it, and that is a grim and terrifying thought. The statement is thrown around a lot, but I'm really starting to feel that if McCain is elected, it would probably be a good idea to move to another country, because something is, as they say, "up."