I'm Done.

[oselle]

As far as I'm concerned John McCain has won this election.

I was away last week but I caught some of the Republican convention and it left my jaw on the floor. Nothing but petty, sneering, mocking attacks on Barack Obama, the kind of vicious, infantile shit that belongs on Fandom Wank, not on the national political stage and not when the future of the country is at stake.

Meanwhile...the Democrats can't say a word about McCain without a lengthy, fawning preface about all his sacrifice, service and integrity.

The McCain campaign is working round the clock to obstruct justice and shut down an ongoing corruption investigation into Sarah Palin, even as they hide her from the press so they can have time to turn an ignorant, unqualified extremist into something that can weather a debate and a few softball interviews.

Meanwhile...more than half the country (according to recent polls) has fallen head-over-heels for this adorable "pit bull in lipstick" and isn't it funny how Hillary Clinton was pilloried as a shrill bitch but Palin is lauded as a delightfully refreshing "barracuda?"

McCain tells people to "stand up and fight" while ignoring the fact that the reason we need to fight is because his party has been in power for eight years.

Meanwhile...this shameless liar is trailing Obama by only a few points.

People, look at what's going on. The Republicans are twisting this election, focusing on the politics of personality while diverting and avoiding any real discussion of issues BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES and you know what? The press and the people of America and the Democrats are helping them do it.

I don't want to talk about this shit anymore. I've already had one conservative concern troll over here chastising me for my "vitriol" towards McCain, the same "can't we all play nice" hankie-wringing bullshit I saw so much of four years ago. I'm done. I want to talk about Dean Winchester. I want to talk about Supernatural. I want to finish my fanfic. And there are plenty of better places than here for information and I urge you, I BEG you to take advantage of them:

Crooks and Liars: One stop shopping for all your reality-based news.

Balloon Juice: No holds barred, take no prisoners blogging from a Republican in recovery.

Digby's Hullabaloo: Always dead on the money analysis, especially of our useless press corps.

Glenn Greenwald: This guy tells it like it is until it hurts.

Stay informed. Question everything. Make sure you're registered to vote. Pray for a miracle.

Comments

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I have to say, even I was shocked at the speeches at the GOP convention being nothing more than saying things about Obama in a nasty voice. It's scary because there's honestly nothing decent they won't shit on--which makes it all the more ridiculous when they pretend to want some higher form of discourse. They showed how much they really cared about military service 4 years ago when they wore band aids to mock John Kerry's war wounds, and now I'm supposed to believe they respect McCain because of his military service? If he were the Democratic nominee they'd be mocking that too.

Just as faced with the idea of somebody graduating college and getting a job where he thinks he's helping people, they mock that. (I loved Jon Stewart's sum up of that attitude: Fuck you, people who want to make a difference in your community! You're a bunch of losers!)

With Palin also, again, they're already twisting the discussion the way they want it to go again, even by demanding people admire the woman for being a working mother while openly trying to make it as hard as possible to be a working mother. I remember people used to talk about that moment where McCarthy was asked "Have you no shame?" but that moment is long past with these people.

Sorry. Don't know where that rant came from. Except the obvious place, I guess. Lazarus Came Forth rocks!

[oselle.livejournal.com]

If McCain were a Democrat they'd be mercilessly mocking the fact that he'd been a POW -- He couldn't escape the Viet Cong, how's he gonna face Bin Laden?

If Palin were a Democrat they would have already shredded her over her out-of-wedlock pregnant teen daughter -- Are THESE the sort of values we want in the White House? -- and the fact that she went back to work a mere three days after giving birth to a severely disabled child. Everything from her hairdo to her clothes would be fair game for mockery.

I hate to say it but the Democrats need to start playing on that level. If you need to wrestle with pigs you're gonna have to get down in the mud.

[mikis53.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to more "Lazarus". Believe me, I learned my lesson...no more politics on line! Not sure if troll has a secondary meaning or just an insult. Can't wait for the first show of the season as i know there will be an outpouring of new stories.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

From Wikipedia:

"A concern troll is a false flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of view is opposed to the one that the user's sockpuppet claims to hold. The concern troll posts in web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the group's actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals, but with professed "concerns". The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt within the group.

Although the term "concern troll" originated in discussions of online behavior, it now sees increasing use to describe similar behaviors that take place offline.

For example, James Wolcott in Vanity Fair accused a conservative New York Daily News columnist of "concern troll" behavior in his efforts to downplay the Mark Foley scandal. Wolcott links what he calls concern trolls to Saul Alinsky's "Do-Nothings," giving a long quote from Alinsky on the Do-Nothing's method and effects:

"These Do-Nothings profess a commitment to social change for ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity, and then abstain from and discourage all effective action for change. They are known by their brand, 'I agree with your ends but not your means.'

In a more recent example, The Hill published an op-ed piece titled "Dems: Ignore 'Concern Trolls'." Again, the concern trolls in question were not Internet participants; they were Republicans offering public advice and warnings to the Democrats. The author defines "concern trolling" as "offering a poisoned apple in the form of advice to political opponents that, if taken, would harm the recipient."

Glad you're still enjoying Lazarus.

[plaidpjs.livejournal.com]

I'm avoiding politics on LJ for the same reason, but thank you so much for this post. You've posted some excellent links and I hope people take advantage of them, I certainly plan to.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Really, these blogs say more than I ever could and they're worth checking out every day.

[mirabile-dictu.livejournal.com]

I just wrote something similar in my IJ, though not nearly as eloquently as you have. I'm just . . . I can't understand how this can happen. I keep reading and reading trying to understand but it's beyond me. And I can't sustain this level of anger or it'll give me an ulcer.

Bah.

[katakanadian.livejournal.com]

The thing I learned in 2004 is that most of our friends are not stupid and it's easy to fall prey to the false security of thinking that most other people are not stupid. I really thought Kerry had a good shot at winning.

We need to make ourselves heard in broader circles. Put ideas out where random passersby will see them. Letters to the editor, T-shirts, bumper stickers, candidate apearances, etc.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

I have been doing my part as best as I can by talking to people who wanted Hilary as the nominee and are sulking about it still. Now is not the time to sulk. I painted them a picture of what it will be like if McCain wins because of their sulkiness. :(

Thanks for the links!

[i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com]

Let's talk about Dean Winchester.

How he loves his Sammy so much.