Alaskan Ice Princess & Grumpy Old Grandpa

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED REPUBLICAN WATERS

There are two visions of John McCain – the handsome, young, military hero who was brave beyond belief during his years in captivity facing torture at the hands of his captures in North Vietnam - and the older John McCain, a desperate man facing the last gasp at the presidency, mumbling as he walks cross the stage during a presidential debate - Grumpy Old Grandpa.  

Grumpy Old Grandpa collides across the world stage proclaiming his role as an agent of change in Washington yet tauting his thirty years of experience fighting world evil as necessary to fight Islamic Fundamentals in the world.  It is this McCain - Grumpy Old Grandpa - who disconnects with young voters when he shares his inability to deal with the Internet, drawing attention to his age and alienation from a generation of young voters who cannot fathom voting for a man who does not know his way around the Internet nor the currency of information exchange on Facebook and YouTube.

The choice of the Alaskan Ice Princess as the vice-presidential candidate drew the stage curtains closed -  the unnerving Hail Mary demonstrated that McCain was driven by pure blind greed – the last gasp at the presidency.  McCain chose to throw away his maverick self and ditch his real vice presidential choice, Joe Lieberman – the Jewish Democrat – an alliance that would have attracted Hillary voters, moderate Republicans, middle-class voters and certainly the Jewish vote.  It was clear that the choice of a Jewish running mate would alienate the religious radical wing that dominates the Republican party – instead of reaching out to middle America, McCain crumbled.

It was clear that the most obvious choice for vice-president  to create a winning Republican ticket was The Mormon, Mitt Romney, the politically prudent choice. Mitt Romney would have guaranteed McCain moderate Republican voters as well as independent swing Democrats who are weary of Obama. The capitalist business vote was inherent in the Romney choice. However, fearful that "The Mormon" would be a deadbreaker for the radical religious wing of the Republican party - McCain crumbled.

When McCain chose to cater to the radical religious wing in his party and chose Sarah Palin, the Alaskan Ice Princess for vice-president - Grumpy Old Grandpa emerged.  The Alaskan Ice Princess galvanized the the radical religious wing of the Republican party, the only voting block already McCain territory. With her austere politics, religious fervor, pregnant teenage daughter and $150,000 makeup and wardrobe, the Alaskan Ice Princess alienated the most important voter group, middle-class Americans who have witnessed the decline of their hard-earned dollars during the last eight years under Republican rule.

The Alaskan Ice Princess and Grumpy Old Grandpa are not believable as agents of change when retirement accounts vanquished in the era of corporate greed epidemic in the Republican Bush-Cheney world domination.  The Alaskan Ice Princess and Grumpy Old Grandpa are not believable as agents of change when the excessive money spent in Iraq is seen thrown to the pockets of Big Oil = Halliburton.

The Alaskan Ice Princess and Grumpy Old Grandpa are not believable as agents of change when our banking system, led by greedy, corrupt mortgage lenders leave our economy standing on the brink of disaster thanks to the policies of corruption in the Republican Bush-Cheney administration.

This is an election that looks to rebuke the Bush-Cheney era, wherein the upper class flourishes, corporate thieves receive million dollar bailouts, and the middle-class is left groping. Hardworking taxpayers feel forgotten and trampled upon. Real Americans, the overworked middle, lower, and working class is facing an election that has manifested concerns for our economical survival as a nation – and more pointedly, our legacy as a nation - what it means to be an American - our legacy in the world, amid the reflection of wasted dollars and American lives in Iraq. 

"Real Americans"- have declared in the national polls - it was a bad idea to ignore us.