Can I get a "You betcha"?

The last thing I want is to turn this blog into a political outlet. The proliferation of poli-opinion is exactly why I hate getting on the internet. It's called Books, Basketball and Booty, not Policy, Pundits and Pussy. But this bubbling over of Sarah "I make W. look savvy and articulate" Palin is too infuriating. Her polemical proselytizing of non-ideas frustrates many to no end, but are very indicative of a vast swath of this country's angry, misinformed voters.

Apparently, her new "dis" of the Ominous Other is "law-professor-presidents." Of course this is definitively not an insult. In anyone's estimation it's a magnificent achievement. But not so to those self-congratulatory twits who see themselves as popu-lites, the creme-de-la-creme of Americanism. Their mistrust of those with a command of complex thought, engaging in complex policy would seem to suggest that Joe-the-fucker-next-door could execute as the Chief Executive with grand acumen. "Average" Americans swell with this ego-inflating idea. But it's not true, and those propagating that myth are cynical enough to encourage while having long before dismissed it completely. It's touchy-feely bullshit we've come to expect from our protectorate class. It's fun to sideline squawk how confusing national and international policy is, but is it really helpful at all to do by making millions of teary-eyed optimistic, not because of what is actually being accomplished, but because they imagine themselves dressing up as John Wayne President for a day? Of course, they do proclaim the Proustian benefits of tea-parties.

Being elite is not an insult. It wasn't in 1999, but one wouldn't realize that by the ever more incoherent madness of neo-McCarthyists. If you're so hell-bent that we should be governed by the people who share your social make-up why listen to New York Times best selling authors, pocket-lined television hosts, former CEOs? Certainly, (a very few) politicians rise from the middle class to become national figures that seems inspiring, but once there they become the elite. Sarah Palin and George Bush are no more down-home than the Ivy-leagued Obama. Less so, if anything (Bush takes the cake here: his family could topple the Kennedys in dynastic wealth and influence, not to mention Yale and Harvard, owning a MLB team and being CEO and Governor of the second largest state). The great American candidate's apparent success depends on a ratio of accent and how that accent flattens the meaning of their words.

Logical disconnect: These popu-lites rile up (or should I write, shore up) discontent over the bail-out package and increased spending while in a deficit. Admittedly, there's much to be criticized about these issues. A thoughtful dissection of the policies is very much needed. But to dismiss them entirely on the basis that it favors irresponsible corporations over responsible citizens is goddamn absurd. Did corporations practice predatory lending? Yes. But who took out the loans and credit cards they couldn't afford? Oh, that belt-tightening every-family who claims by Nielson power the innate comprehension of fiscal responsibility. Am I blaming the victim? Only as much as the victim is Bank of America, et al, and Tea-bagging-Joe-blow. Of course, this delusion is encouraged by the comfortable, rich, accountant-hiring popu-lites like Glen Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Libaugh, etc. Anger leads to bad decisions, bad decisions that increase these people's worth, which leads to more anger. The cyclically stupid.

Sometimes I wish we'd truly export democracy, but export it the way we export our manufacturing labor. Of course I don't really want that to happen. I guess I don't mind the flaming flaggots flapping away their uninteresting rhapsodies of freedom and mish-mash as long as Obama's at the helm. It reminds me why I truly admire only one branch of government: the judicial. Yeah, yeah, say what you will about specific case outcomes (especially the recent decision to practically grant personhood to large corporations), but there's something wonderful about a group of top minds whose job it is to dissect, debate, spend long hours mulling over interpretation and semantics, parse heavily layered minutiae, and deliberate for hours at a time to come to a conclusion. I love that. It's also my favorite when it takes power away from those who would perpetuate prejudices and fears to make even more ignorant this country. They can overrule an unjust law even if 90% of the population raves about it.

Anyhow, I'd like to end with a message down-to-earth-Palin will understand, articulated in a manner that's hers: Go fuck ya-self.

P.S. My least favorite branch? The legislative. These ego-maniacal sociopaths spew "talking points" and glad-hand the idiocy all while finding deceitful ways of screwing their constituents. They're the would be movie-stars who lack the good looks, and have too much charisma and acting capability for Hollywood.