A Question of Experience

Kudos to John McCain for his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. I think it was a good pick. Obviously, if you consider the campaign to be a chess game, then this was brilliant because it completely nullifies the "firstness" of the Democratic ticket. But I like the choice for reasons other than Governor Palin's gender.

First, I like her history of bucking the trend in the GOP because it has become stodgy. She is an individual who sticks to her beliefs, and though many are along already established GOP lines, she is definitely not, pardon the expression, a member of the "old-boy network."

Second, she is a constitutionalist. I respect that she looks at the constitutionality of legislation and not her personal views - case in point the legislation on providing partner benefits to gay couples. She's against gay marriage, but upon consultation, her Attorney General said legislation banning benefits would be against the Alaska constitution, so she vetoed it. This may not be popular with many hard core Conservatives, but it's fair and that is what a President needs to be.

Next, I think it was a smart pick because Ms. Palin does not need to confront any prior statements attacking her running mate, as Mr. Biden will (or should). By picking someone outside the Presidential race, McCain has avoided controversy and created a unified ticket from day one. One of the worst things that can happen to a candidate is to start their run as an apologist for themselves.

Lastly, and maybe most important...of all four people running on the Dem & GOP tickets, she actually has the most practical and relevant experience to the job of President because she has been a chief executive twice. She was a mayor, albeit of a small town, then Governor of a state. She has had to deal with legislative bodies, sign or veto bills, confront lobbyists, provide balance between the branches - all the things presidents have to do. If the Republicans win in November, she will have the perfect position from which to build on that experience.

Given Senator Obama's abysmal attendance and voting record, how can he really attack her on experience, anyway? Oh, I can see the slogan now:

"Why wait for a tragedy to get an inexperienced President? Save time and elect one from the start! I'm Barack Obama and I approved this message"

Right...that'll work!

Words of Wisdom...

Ever since last Friday something my contemporary history professor in college said has been going around and around in my head. This was in 1986...when we didn't realize we were in the bottom of the ninth of the cold war. The goings-on of the Soviet union was always a hot topic and being in an engineering school, most of us were pretty conservative. To the best of my recollection, his exact words were:

"Russians don't behave the way they do because they're Czarist or Bolshevik or Communist. They behave that way because they're Russians."

'Nuff said!

A Numbers Game

(Note: Most of this I have said before...but it bears repeating.)

The three branches of our government, about which we were all taught in grade school (one hopes), consist of 545 people:

Legislative Branch: 435 Representatives & 100 Senators

Executive Branch: 1 President

Judicial Branch: 9 Supreme Court Justices

This coming election day, 470 (or 86%) of these people are up for re-election.

Why are we spending all our time worrying about only one?

Constitutionally, the President is pretty impotent in that he can do very little without the advice and consent of Congress. Sadly, people have forgotten about our representatives in the House and Senate, bypassing them completely and placing all their hopes, praise and blame on the President. But that is not how our government is supposed to work. By design, that was intentional - why do you think the the Legislative Branch (congress) is in Article 1 and it is so long whereas the Executive Branch is discussed second in Article 2 and it is so much shorter? The President is only the leader of our republic - our union of sovereign states. He or She is not directly responsible to us - our Representatives in the House are. The leader of our Democracy is really the Speaker of the House - currently Ms. Nancy Pelosi of California.

Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum. If the President seeks Congress' input, and we haven't been writing or calling our representatives regularly supplying it, then all they have to go on is their own opinions. While that may be appropriate at times for Senators, it is not for representatives. But, how many people even know who their Representative in the House is? If we, as citizens, aren't stepping up to our responsibilities and don't force our government to work the way the Constitution dictates, then we share the blame with our Representatives when abuses occur.

The remedy is clear. First, we must clean house - literally. All 435 members of the House of Representatives should be seriously challenged for their jobs, and many should be replaced. Let's give another meaning to the percentage up for re-election and really think about 86ing the dead wood! Second, we need to make sure the newly elected President and Congressmen, regardless of who they may be, truly understand the Constitutional limits of their jobs. Third, we as a citizenry need to become more vocal and remind those who we elected to represent us for whom they really work and that we are constantly watching.

Down The Rabbit Hole

It seems Congressman Kucinich is no longer alone in Wonderland. Recently, certain members of the U.S. Congress have followed him down the rabbit hole of partisan politics, led by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. In the past month, Ms. Pelosi, and several of her peers, have not only attacked the President, but have also essentially turned tail and fled the House to avoid having to so much as debate the controversial issue of offshore drilling. What is it you’re afraid of, Ms. Pelosi? Staging a walkout has most likely just strengthened the resolve of your Conservative peers and their supporters.

In addition to not making tactical sense, Ms. Pelosi’s action has also shown a sad lack of character which is essential to the position she so happily occupies. How can there possibly be any issue which is so hot that it can’t even be touched by the supposed representatives of the people? I’m curious as to how many liberals actually support the cowardly action of the Speaker and their representatives.

No leader in America should have the right to singularly deny open debate on an issue. The Constitution was created supremely for the purpose of eliminating the ability for one person to have absolute power over which issues are debated, yet it seems that this point of our history has escaped Ms. Pelosi's attention.

As the nation barrels on toward the November elections, I'm sure the authors of the document fundamental to forming today’s government would be spinning in their graves hearing how it is being misquoted and misused day after day by those sworn to uphold it.