It’s sad and predictable that the RNC people are going nuts over Sarahcuda as she gives her convention speech. It’s full of fomentation against liberal elites who look down on small-town mayors and humble Christian soccer moms that just wanna serve their country by suddenly becoming the Vice President of the United States.
They take such a dim view of government and governing, that to them a soccer mom/taxi driver/blogger is just as qualified — hell, more qualified — than Al Gore to plan and execute public policy. College training, deep thought and curiosity just interfere with the sacred wisdom of The Gut. The less you know, the more you love Jesus, the more likely you are to rule justly.
The Republican Party could certainly use a house-cleaning: bring in more genuine small-government folks, more effective managers, more scientifically informed people, more libertarians, and bump out the culture-warriors, the lobbyists and the paleocons… but based on what’s happening in St. Paul tonight I can’t see that happening anytime soon. They are reveling in their choice of a VP that is proud to have spent very little time thinking about foreign affairs, who thinks climate change is barely related to human activities, and whose record of special interest money-grubbing should be embarrassing as hell.
Ignorance as a badge of honor; I don’t think Barack Obama will change that American tendency overnight, but I do hope people will grow to love him because of his thoughtfulness, his intelligence, etc… but I’m not holding my breath.
Meanwhile, I’ve seen several MLK-Obama cartoons lately, such as this one by Tom Toles:
At the risk of being a killjoy: Having someone like Obama elected president is only one of many steps on the way towards realizing MLK’s dream. We can definitely be thrilled that it’s even a possibility that a Caucasian-African-American would be elected president in 2008, but we have so far to go towards real equality of opportunity for boys and girls of any skin color and economic background. MLK’s vision was about more than just getting someone non-white into the White House. Basic healthcare for all Americans is a start, but we have to actually get it done; addressing climate change is a great platform plank, but we have to actually get it done; preparing all children for kindergarten is a great equalizer, but it hasn’t happened yet. Obama’s priorities in office remain to be seen… the dream is realized when we’re making a difference for real people.
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