Taking Offense

I often watch cable news programs while fixing dinner.  Because most of those shows are anchored by decidedly liberal media personalities, I don’t expect to hear many conservative opinions (of the type that I would subscribe to) coming from the TV.  I watch because I like to be informed about current events; I have a fascination with politics that these programs feed; and I like the noise while I’m doing something else (i.e. I’m a “news junkie”).

Today, I was deeply offended by what I heard on Hardball with Chris Matthews.  Matthews and his guests, David Corn & Lois Romano, used almost an entire segment (The Politics Fix) to criticize Sarah Palin and Michael Steele for comments they made regarding the connection between their faith and political decisions.  I was particularly offended by the discussion regarding an interview Michael Steele gave to CNN.  Steele was asked if he was going to run for president.  He replied (my paraphrase) that he would consider it if God wanted him to.  After the clip of Steele’s response was played, Matthews and his guests giggled and joked about how ridiculous it was that Steele would answer that way.

ALL POLITICS ASIDE, I take offense to that whole discussion AS A CHRISTIAN.   I wholeheartedly believe that God directs His children (born again believers) according to His will for their lives.  I also know, from personal experience, that born-again Christians actively seek God’s direction and purpose.  We ask for God to lead us and we use His direction in the decisions we make regarding all aspects of our lives.   I don’t know anything about Michael Steele’s faith or relationship with Christ but I respect him for looking to God for guidance in the decisions he makes about his life.

Personally, I think its entirely too early to care who may or may not run for President in 2012 or 2016.  Obviously, Mr. Matthews feels differently.  So, to him (and his guests), I would say this…you don’t ridicule the people that leave God completely out of their decisions to run for public office.  At the very least, you should show the same courtesy to the people that do include Him in their decision making process!

A.M. Politics

Not sure why but I am awake VERY early this morning with some random thoughts about politics.  Take them for what they are…just one person’s thoughts!

• I just didn’t have the patience to sit and watch the President last night.  I think he’s been a little TOO visible lately.  As for his “message”, I know the recession will eventually subside.  Hearing him say that doesn’t make me think any differently about it, good or bad.
• Regardless of what you may think about the policies and actions of the Bush administration, you have to give President Bush (43) and Condeleeza Rice credit for getting out of the way of the public criticism of the new administration.  Both of them have said (my paraphrase) that they owe the new President their silence.  In other words, they are keeping their thoughts to themselves when it is in the best interest of all of us for them to do so.
• I haven’t been a fan of Tim Geithner from the beginning.  In fact, for the 1st time ever, I wrote letters to BOTH Senators from my state asking them to vote against his nomination for Treasury secretary.  You can see how much weight my opinion carried there!  After hearing part of his testimony to Congress yesterday, I am less of a fan than ever.  There is something about him that comes across as defensive and arrogant and I don’t care for that.  I get that he used to run the NY Fed and that he is a “brilliant financial mind” and that Obama wouldn’t accept his resignation even if he gave it to him.  That’s all fine and good but what difference do all those extraordinary things make if you don’t do something very ordinary like pay the taxes you owe?  I can barely do basic math in my head but I don’t have trouble finding out how much I owe the government every year.  If he’s half as brilliant as everyone claims he is, he shouldn’t have needed several years and a nomination to the President’s cabinet to figure his out!
• We better be careful before we run Geithner off.  I’m not sure there is anyone else around willing to take that job!
• All this talk about expanded power for the government to be able to take over non-bank companies that are failing doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.  What’s that?  Nancy Pelosi agrees with Geithner…now I KNOW it’s not a good idea.

Now, all this talk about politics has made me sleepy so I’m headed back to bed!

Not just a vote, but a privilege

Between the economy and the election and my closet re-organization project, I am in the mood to pitch everything (including incumbent politicians) and start over!  I am involved and informed (maybe too much so) with the upcoming election and, no matter who wins, I don’t have much hope of anything in Washington being dramatically different with the next administration than it is with this one.  Sure, the priorities will change but the politics and the processes of our government won’t.

With that leaning toward negativity, I visited Mr. Massage last week.  It was a couple of hours before the VP debate on Thursday night.  We don’t always chat during our session but he asked if I was watching the debate and, when I said yes, he started talking (and didn’t stop until our time was up). 

It might interest you to know a little something about Mr. Massage…

• He was born and raised in communist China and his family still lives there.
• He is an American citizen and he votes.
• He owns his own business, has a real estate license, has taught himself to use computers and he owns and maintains several rental properties.
• He works 10 hours a day, 6 days a week.
• When he first came to America, he started out as a member of one party.  Over time, he has changed to the other party after learning more about what both of them stood for.
• He has paid to attend political fund raisers to educate himself about parties, candidates and the U.S. political process.

During our conversation the other night, he was adamant about support of HIS candidate.  In his mind, there is an obvious choice with well thought reasoning behind it.  While listening to him, I was struck by several things…

First, he has committed his time, energy and money to learning about the political system in this country (not his home country) and he has embraced what he has learned.  He knows what it’s like to NOT have the freedom to choose leaders and he is unwilling to stand by in his adopted country while others choose leaders that will make decisions that affect him.

Second, he loves America.  He told me that America has given him the chance to succeed.  “I am proud when I visit China,” he said, “because I am somebody here (in America).”

Third, he knows more about American politics and the philosophies of the parties than most Americans that have spent their whole lives here.  What a shame that we take our democracy, its leaders and our duty as citizens for granted.

Mr. Massage and I both left to head home and watch the debate.  I can’t say that what I saw did much to change my opinion about Washington, but I can definitely say that Mr. Massage changed a LOT of my opinion about my right, PRIVILEGE and HONOR to vote, not to mention my responsibility to do so!

Just Doing His Job

I saw a few minutes of Barack Obama’s remarks yesterday (9/23/08) about the economic crisis and the possible legislation that Congress is debating.  A reporter asked if he would go to Washington to cast a vote on whatever agreement was reached.  His answer was (my paraphrase) that, if the vote looked like it was going to be close, he would go.  Otherwise, he would continue campaigning.  I was offended by that response.

Today, John McCain announced that he would suspend his campaign to go to Washington to take part in the debate/discussion/resolution of the immediate economic crisis.  He also called for the 1st debate, scheduled for Friday, to be postponed – not cancelled, mind you – just moved to a later time.  Almost immediately, the media and the democrats started accusing McCain of using this as a political ploy to play games.

Maybe I am too naive for my own good but, isn’t he already a U.S. Senator?  Isn’t the job of a U.S. Senator to participate in the business of the Senate?  Isn’t the pending economic bailout legislation part of Senate business?

Why wouldn’t John McCain (and Barack Obama and Joe Biden, also U.S. Senators) want to be there?  Don’t they feel some sort of obligation to do the jobs they currently hold instead of only focusing on the ones they HOPE to hold?

When it’s all said and done, the economy may be the issue that loses the election for John McCain.  Whether he’s elected or not, I give him credit for showing up to work and doing his job, regardless of what that means for his campaign!

Thank you, Mr. Obama

Like many people across the country, I spent time this weekend trying to find out more about Sarah Palin.  I read news articles, listened to profiles on a variety of news channels, watched video clips and talked to people I was with about what they knew about her.  No one I talked to knew very much but they did, already seem to have strong opinions.

Yesterday, when I got home after a short weekend trip, I learned of the announcement by the McCain-Palin campaign that Gov. Palin’s unmarried, teenage daughter is pregnant.  Regardless of your politics, this is a bad situation that happens far too often in our country.  The fact that it has happened in the Palin family makes it, potentially, a campaign issue as well as the life-changing, difficult tragedy that it is anyway.

I am NOT a Barack Obama supporter in any way.  In spite of that, I would be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to Mr. Obama for his actions and his words regarding the Palin pregnancy situation.  Not only did he declare the issue and candidates’ children “off-limits”, he said that this situation didn’t have any relevance to the politics at hand (my parapharase).

I don’t know enough about Sarah Palin yet to know my opinion of her as a politician.  As a mother, I know she’s in a situation that no mother wants to find herself in.  The coming days in her family’s life are going to be difficult enough without Obama “piling on”.  To his credit, he didn’t do that when he had the chance yesterday and, thankfully, all indications are that he won’t start, at least not where this personal, painful matter is concerned.