A clear theme emerged from my readings of Sunday morning news...
This article in the Politico is a must-read. It explains the strategic reasons for McCain going so negative, summed up in McCain spokesman Brian Rogers' statement, "We recognize it’s not going to be 2000 again...he lost then. We’re running a campaign to win. And we’re not too concerned about what the media filter tries to say about it." In other words, they're running an anything-goes campaign. President Bush had the same willingness in 2004 to lie, cheat, and steal, but his tactics were mild in comparison to McCain's this time around because McCain is running against a much stronger candidate and facing an agitated electorate. In an election that truly is about change, McCain's only hope is to get people to fear Obama just enough to stop them from voting for him.
Another money quote from Rogers: "When [McCain is] sitting in back of a bus and getting questions about Viagra, I think we understand at that point you’ve got to make some tactical adjustments." Read: when our candidate bumbles like a complete idiot in response to a question regarding health insurers' willingness to cover Viagra but not birth control pills, we decided that we better just keep the candidate away from the media. Seems like they're taking the same tack with Palin. So, let me get this straight: McCain/Palin can't handle taking questions from the media, but they can handle running the government of the United States of America. A McCain win would signal a continued shift to an undemocratic, authoritarian system of government, a possibility that once seemed like a stretch after eight years of Dubya and the Prince of Darkness.
It's not really about one candidate or another now, though, as the Republican National Convention made clear. The Republican Party has become a fundamentally authoritarian party. They don't want citizens making decisions about the kind of society they want to live in. The want to leave it up to "the free market," i.e. large corporations. They get to set the agenda, and we get to follow like sheep. And if we don't follow like sheep, well...you just might end up maced, beaten, and hauled into prison like so many protesters at the RNC experienced.
I have generally thought it to be an overstatement to say that we are living in a fascist state. I still do. We are clearly moving more and more in that direction, however. And if a presidential campaign based on lies can be endorsed by the American people, then we deserve whatever we get.
Speaking of authoritarianism and its corresponding lack of transparency, there's another must-read article on Sarah Palin's governing style at the New York Times this morning. This quote will give you the heebie-jeebies:
Interviews show that Ms. Palin runs an administration that puts a premium on loyalty and secrecy. The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.
Wow. "George Bush in a dress," anyone?
To round out the authoritarian theme, we have this article at the Washington Post describing Vice-President Cheney's attempts to quash DOJ oversight of the White House's domestic spying program. The general impression is that Cheney clearly wanted no oversight whatsoever. Checks and balances? We don't need no stinkin' checks and balances!
Read 'em and weep.