The Presidential Election is over, John McCain lost. Let the in-party fighting and slander begin. In the recent days we’ve seen previously undisclosed “tidbits” about Sarah Palin come to light. Some are important, like the fact that she discussed Bill Ayers before the campaign OK’d it. Others, like the fact that she “greeted McCain advisors in a towel” and spent more money on clothing than previously realized, seem a little superfluous. Okay, so the woman has no modesty and has a clothing addiction, so what?

- Dollface

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Related Links:
Save Gas and the Environment: Carpool to the Polls

Well, for one thing, Laura Bush will be replaced by Cindy McCain.  I didn’t think the Stepford Wife thing could go any further.

Don’t get me wrong, Mrs. McCain has a fair amount of accomplishments hidden under her brightly colored pantsuits.  She is a philanthropist, most notably through her founding of the American Voluntary Medical Team, which sends people out to areas hurt by disasters or war.  After receiving a master’s degree in special education, she even turned down a role in her father’s company in order to work with mentally challenged kids.  Even though that lasted for only one year, she was an important part of developing a new approach to movement therapy for severely disabled children.  She also has four children of her own, one of whom was adopted from Bangladesh, in addition to the three kids from John’s first marriage.  Still, my mother raised four children on her own while running a home daycare; and this was without a cushion of cash or prescription drugs to fall back on.  Cindy’s addiction to Percocet and Vicodin is certainly not something to be taken lightly, but addiction can get the best of any of us.  Her actions, however, led to the demise of the American Voluntary Medical Team after it was discovered that she was illegally obtaining prescriptions by using the names of its employees without their knowledge.  While I respect her for overcoming her addiction, I feel that even her “nonprofit” organizations are very profitable to her in ways that most people wouldn’t even expect.  If all I had to do was pay restitution with my father’s money to get off of drug charges, I would fraudulently obtain some sedatives myself.

Cindy McCain is one woman I know I wouldn’t be able to stand if I came face to face with her.  Born Cindy Lou Hensley, she’s a rich girl who has benefited profusely off of family money (beer from Anheuser-Busch is completely ruined for me) — not to mention the fact that she uses this money to fund her husband’s political campaigns.  She has funds from a $300 million dollar company, and she is bitching about Obama’s campaign money?  And if you thought John McCain’s seven houses were bad, his wife owns ten, in addition to parts of 3 office complexes.  I thought women married older men for money — so why did 25 year-old Cindy go for McCain at 42?  I mean he is 72 now…an old 72.  Not to mention he already had children and, oh yeah, a wife.  During his courtship with Cindy, John pushed for a divorce from his wife Carol McCain. He remarried a month after their divorce was finalized.  While her husband went on with his political life, Cindy followed him to Washington — where she was ostracized because of Carol McCain’s popularity and spent her time writing over 4000 Christmas cards in 1983.

Writing Christmas cards is a pain in the ass, and I am sure I will end up doing it when I am a “wife.”  But I can hardly stomach the fact that this is a fact listed in Cindy McCain’s life story.  I firmly believe that a First Lady should be a woman who uses her intelligence for more than domestic niceties.  The contrast could not be any more apparent — Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama both act like ladies, but they are also able to articulately voice their opinions.  Cindy McCain can voice her opinions too, but she sounds less like an intelligent woman and more like that bitchy girl from high school.  Still, the Republican Party praises her for “her elegance at coffee shops and other small campaign settings, where she frequently refers to her children, carpooling, and charity work.”  I agree that raising children is more than a career, but I don’t think women fully convey their intelligence by talking about chauffering their children around.  Talk about your children, talk about teaching kids with special needs, but please, don’t relive every detail of getting your kids and their friends to pee-wee football practice.  Cindy herself emphasizes the idea that she would be a “traditional” First Lady — which seems to mean she will not stick her nose into her husband’s business…you know, his business of governing the country.

I can’t imagine that John was a young and lively man when he met Cindy.  As hard as it is to believe, this ice queen was the epitome of the vivacious girl-next-door in her younger years, and she definitely started early.  At the age of 14, she was named the Junior Rodeo Queen of Arizona, followed up by the even better accomplishment of being voted “Best Dressed” at her affluent Phoenix high school — well, at least now we know how she came to be so diluted in her fashion sense.  At college in California she was a cheerleader as well as a sorority sister (is anyone else seeing the stereotype come to life?).  She was not as dumb as one might think, however, and she was heavily involved with Charles Keating’s financial affairs.  Cindy and her father invested nearly $400,000 in a project with Keating, and she also acted as a bookkeeper — although not a very good one, seeing as how she simply “couldn’t find” several receipts when shit hit the fan in the Keating scandal.

So all in all, I am obviously not impressed with Mrs. McCain, volume 2.  She may have accomplishments, but like Sarah Palin, I can only wonder where her ambition comes from and, more importantly, where this ambition is headed.  Everyone makes mistakes, but her demeanor serves only to emphasize the idea that she doesn’t seem to learn from them…just as with her anger towards the Obama campaign, her problems and misdeeds seem to be on everyone else’s shoulders.

***Explore the many faces of Cindy – this made me laugh, but be warned, it is offensive.

***Read this satirically heartwarming look at the McCain marriage.

***Who does Mrs. McCain most closely resemble?  This look-alike website has reached a consensus…

Photo Credits Found Here.

–> I love Joe Biden – if for anything, simply for the fact that he can be so deadpan with his responses.  This interview has been all over the place, but if you haven’t seen it, watch Joe own this reporter.

–> So is voting for McCain anyways?  Apparently the GOP is struggling to understand the demise of their party.  And after the disaster of the McCain/Palin ticket, they are fighting to keep a foot in the door of the White House.

–> Sick of hearing about the Bradley effect?  Well read this article about white Americans who are really voting for Obama.

–> Here is a relatively short video piece by Time Magazine’s Joe Klein on his interview with Barack Obama. This is not only thought-provoking but really worth viewing. Watch the 3 minute video here.

–> As Dollface recently mentioned, an awesome blog that’s developed during this Presidential election is Yes We Can (Hold Babies). It’s a series of photographs of Obama with children or babies (and sometimes Michelle or Biden). Seriously, each picture on this site is cuter than the last. Highly recommended.

–>Hope you all had a great weekend – and please…

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!!!

yours

truly

-

HARLEQUIN

Special thanks to Evil Slutopia, Shakesville, Donklephant, and Yes We Can (Hold Babies) for many of these photographs.

If you’re curious my opinion on John McCain and Sarah Palin…

Do you have any favorite moments of the election? Last minute thoughts on your favorite candidate? Please share.

I’ve got some hilarious videos to share with you all today.

Here is a 2000 ad for Budweiser (I’m linking to this to give the next advertisement context):

Here is the 2008 ad endorsing Obama by the same guys:

–> Did you hear about the woman who was supposedly attacked by an Obama supporter? Turns out it’s a hoax. Read more here.

In other news, I voted Obama via absentee ballot the other day! Hope you’re all having a great weekend.

In a major coup for the Obama campaign, Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama as his candidate for President. Check out his reasoning in this video clip (I really recommend it, he is well-spoken and brings up a lot of good points):

We’ll have to see how this affects the campaign in its final days, as it is being heralded as Obama’s “October Surprise.” Though some say that this will only give Obama a minor boost in ratings, it is making quite a splash in the media.

–> Check out this post on Racialicious entitled, “An Open Letter to White Voters, Or What McCain Really Thinks of You”. The post challenges some of the negative attitudes coming from the McCain campaign and the stereotypes being made about the “typical white voter” (are we really all just xenophobic assholes who drink six-packs every day with our hockey-mom wives?). I urge you all to check this out.

–> A really cute video about President Clinton’s final days in office. I think it’s been around for a while but I hadn’t seen it until recently. It’s pretty hilarious (and I know Harlequin will die when she sees it — she has a bit of a crush on Bill).

Hope you all had a great weekend! I still haven’t received my absentee ballot and I’m getting nervous! They better send it to me sooooon. (Maybe that’s why all these links have been political…I can’t get the election out of my head!)

These are possibly the most funny and endearing videos pertaining to this election that I’ve seen. McCain and Barack take the gloves off for the Alfred E. Smith memorial dinner and poke some fun at themselves for a change. I must say, I am quite impressed by McCain’s bit — the fact that he made Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton laugh so hard was priceless.

Is it just me or does McCain seem to know that Obama is going to win?

Of course, Obama was hilarious as well:

Best line ever?

Obama: My greatest strength? My humility. My greatest weakness: That I am a little too awesome.

We’ve been covering the 2008 Presidential Campaign for some time here at Rotten Little Girls. I’ve written about McCain’s negative ads, Sarah Palin’s unsuitability to be Vice President, but for the first time in this rollercoaster of an election period, I am fed up and disgusted. I was able (somehow) to stomach Palin’s “getchas” and “betchas” and McCain’s painfully boring speeches, but I am not able to condone racism.

Let’s be clear — other than referring to Obama as “That one” and releasing an ad associating Obama with a “terrorist”, I do not believe McCain has said overtly racist statements towards Obama (yet, there is such a thing as coded language).

Most disturbing, however, is the recent McCain and Palin rallies in which people have called Obama a “terrorist” and “Obama Bin Laden” and have even been heard shouting “Treason!” and “Kill him!” Check out the following video for one example:

Not only is it terrifying to hear someone threatening violence to a Presidential candidate, but considering Barack Obama is the first African-American Presidential candidate, you cannot ignore the racial undertones. In this country, you must keep in mind our history of slavery and Jim Crowism. Less than a century ago it was customary for extremist groups and mobs such as the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize and murder black people. That is one of the first things that comes to mind when I hear someone shout “Kill him!” in reference to Obama.

Racism, both overt and aversive, is systematic and pervasive in our society. Racism and hatred towards black people — Obama in particular — is not “out of the ordinary”. Here are two clips from Youtube that show McCain supporters calling Obama a terrorist, among other things. While I do not find these two videos to have journalistic integrity, they give you a glimpse of what some McCain supporters are willing to say publicly, on camera. Most disturbing to me (and the main reason I post these videos) is the part when a child of one supporter says about Obama: “You need gloves to touch him” (This can be seen from around 3:00 to 3:10 in the second video):

There have also been some troubling incidents that have come to my attention:

- An Obama supporter in London was shot by a BB-gun at close range because he was wearing an Obama t-shirt and because he was black.

- A man in Georgia tried to sell t-shirts that depict Barack Obama as Curious George (the monkey starring in beloved children’s books).

- There is talk of the Bradley Effect, which is when people, afraid to seem racist, tell the polls that they are voting for a black candidate but then change their mind in the privacy of the voting booth.

- In a speech given by John Ashcroft, he (deliberately?) referred to Barack Obama as “Osama”. Politically leanings aside, that’s fucked up.

The racism and personal attacks must stop. By calling him a Muslim and a terrorist, people are associating Barack Obama with “otherness” (nevermind that a) he’s not Muslim b) being Muslim isn’t a bad thing). People seriously think: He’s Muslim — don’t trust him. He’s a “pal” of terrorists — don’t trust him. He’s black — don’t trust him. It’s about time people looked at the facts: Obama is a United States Senator with extensive credentials and a strong educational background. He is an upstanding citizen and a loyal father and husband. Quite frankly, I’ve had enough of ignorant people’s bullshit.

What are your thoughts on racism and its effect on this election? Have you heard of any other incidences of racism in the campaign? Please share your thoughts and stories.

Further reading:
How Racism Works – a telling post about racism in this election (pay special attention to Palin’s educational record…did you know she attended 5 different colleges before getting her degree?)
“Pseudo Controversies” Hide Racism

I don’t rely too much on polls, but it seems that McCain had to knock Obama out in this one just to regain an even balance. I did think Obama focused on the issues and gave specific examples of his policies, but I honestly wasn’t extremely impressed by either candidate (check out their report cards).  I felt as if the debate evolved into a bickering match over records, policies, and of course, character. We had McCain talking about the “candies and goodies” used to entice Senators such as “that one” (Obama) into voting for certain bills, and then we had Obama talking about how McCain has been “cheerleading” Bush through the war (although I have to admit, I did laugh on that last one). There seemed to be too much of a back and forth, with each pointing out the hypocritical voting records of the other – I ended up not knowing what was the truth and what was a crock of crap.

Not to mention the snide comments about time constraints. Yes, Obama talked a lot, so much so that he often went over the time limit. Honestly, I know there are time limits imposed for a reason, and the campaigns previously agree to them in the name of fairness. But at the same time, is it really necessary to keep to the 90 minute time frame? This is the presidential election for Christ’s sake, and I would hope that the candidates have enough to say to make the debate longer than a feature film. I like Obama as a debater for firmly yet politely emphasizing his stance instead of being shut up and sat down by a clock. McCain seemed as if he was brown nosing not only the moderator but also the audience: “I am going to stop, and you didn’t even have to wait,” McCain told moderator Tom Brokaw at one point. Good job, Johnny, you showed us Americans that you can follow the same rules they institute into beauty pageants…hmm, Sarah Palin has taught you a lot.

Still, there were a lot of important points brought up despite the childish bickering. One aspect of the debate that I found particularly interesting was the discussion of the Iraq War and the Vietnam War. One audience member at the town hall asked a question about whether or not the U.S. should go into countries neighboring Iraq, which was a tactic considered during the Vietnam War. In the 1960s, the U.S. chose not to enter Cambodia or Laos, and in fact a communist regime came to power in the state of “Pathet Lao.” The debate of today mainly involves Afghanistan and Pakistan, two countries that Obama believes we should be focusing on. While McCain argues that Obama is “telegraphing his punches” on live television (saying the Democratic candidate is broadcasting his plans to “attack Pakistan”), the former military hero quotes one of his own “heroes” when he declares his foreign policy strategy: “speak softly but carry a big stick” (Teddy Roosevelt, by the way). Now, I do not know much abut military strategy or foreign policy, but I would think that talking would be a bit more important. Both candidates emphasize that they need to gain support of Pakistan’s people, just as the U.S. government had unsuccessfully tried to gain the support of the South Vietnamese. Still, McCain wants to be diplomatic in a way that can hide America’s true motives; we have to be tough and carry that big stick, right? On the other hand, Obama says that America needs to “stop coddling” Pakistan. He did not mean we should jump in there and attack them (as if we never do that…), but it was his way of letting them know where America stands. Pakistan might be angry, but they ain’t gonna hear us if we speak too softly, and darn tootin’ right they aren’t gonna like us too much if we act nice and then whip out our big sticks (come on, McCain, save that for Cindy).

There were sharp disagreements not only about the war in Iraq, but also about America’s position in the world. Not only do most people agree that Obama won the debate, but they also believe that he presented a stronger foreign policy stance than his opponent.  McCain emphasized our status as the shining light of the free world, noting that our country is obliged to at least try to intervene in world struggles. Obama, on the other hand, said that while it is a moral duty to intervene in cases of genocide, there are other situations (I am assuming he means politically) in which the U.S. has to determine if, in fact, their presence will benefit anyone or bring about any sort of resolution. This seems like a legitimate enough foreign policy for me, and it probably would not have gotten us into Iraq in the first place. Sure, I want genocide and ethnic cleansing in Darfur to end, but I don’t think the U.S. should go around policing governments that we do not approve of, like Iraq. Like Obama said, we can not do it all. There is always going to be oppression and struggle in the world, but we can not intervene everywhere. Especially during this economic crisis, Americans should be focusing first and foremost on our country. Even McCain said that in order to have a strong military, you need to have a strong economy as a foundation. Well, maybe now is a good time to focus on the root of the problem instead of spending billions of dollars in a country where we really do not seem to be getting anywhere.

There is so much more I could talk about (economic and energy policies in particular) but what did everyone else think of the debate?

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