Being as this is my first entry, allow me to introduce myself: I'm a first generation eldest son of a Greek Immigrant (Chicago in 1963 via Edessa, The City of Waterfalls) and a SouthSide Irish lass. My genetic disposition combined two of the most stubborn peoples to walk the earth, all wrapped in the puff pastry that was growing up in Elmwood Park, IL as one of a handful of kids whose last name didn't end in a vowel. Raised a questioning catholic via college prep schools that taught the yin and yang of logic/reasoning and faith, I graduated from the University of Illinois in the 90's with a malleable degree in Communications and am now an executive in software sales catering to financial services, living in Hillary's hometown of Park Ridge. Married to my best friend- who could honestly find work as Cheryl Burke's stunt double (did I mention I'm an unbelievable lucky bastard?)- with a daughter rampaging through the Terrible Twos- I've finally succumbed to the overwhelming need to indulge in a release that Mark Twain once described as easy since "all you have to do is cut a vein and let it flow"...
So I've been eagerly absorbing all the post-debate analysis, and one common thread that will surely provide fodder for the McCain Camp is the "I Agree With Senator McCain"- type replies on behalf of Obama. Granted, we all know how insidiously obtuse and dense the GOP can diffuse a message to the point where, if the propaganda is repeated oft enough, one might wonder if the Sun will REALLY rise in the East. But I feel this is just another instance of the short attention span of the public being manipulated to suit an over generalized and misleading message. Expect to hear the pundit class and surrogates to parrot the line of "He agreed with McCain's position on...." coupled with a slight reluctance (okay, I'm being generous) of the talking heads to delve deeper into the nuances of their respective positions. Reinforce this with the still in place acceptance of the "Maverick" perception of McCain and you've got the message already typed up, just waiting to be proof-read and blast-faxed out.
The Devil Is In The Details As We Know. Yes, both Obama and McCain agree that we need to be energy independent. One wants to get there via investment in alternative resources such as wind and solar sources. The other wants alternative sources such as closer offshore drilling rigs and more money to oil companies to invest in....themselves, I guess. To make a long story short (and thank you if you've made it this far into my rambling), they're both on the same map,just in different timezones.
But the key- the blanket to smother these potential embers- is to counter them- voraciously challenge!- the differences to the point of mockery. Which presents a rather fun opportunity-
To Wit:
"I agree with John that forest fires need to be extinguished- but I want to extinguish them with water while my opponent wants to use unwanted puppies and minorities."
"I agree with John that the economy needs to be fixed asap. I favor a plan that calls for Wall Street's acceptance of new regulatory requirements, while my opponent calls for them to use the funds for their annual Hedge Fund Managers Hooker & Coke Fiesta in Grand Cayman."
"I agree with John that we need to somehow engage our enemies via diplomacy. However, my definition of diplomacy doesn't include a karaoke song that features the word "bomb" and "insert your country's name here".
Please feel free to add your own, and again, thank you for coming to my little slice of the ether in the Big Orange world....