I have to hand it to him, John McCain is a likeable guy. I don't agree with him on every issue -- far from it -- but I've always liked him. He's like that really old, bumbling uncle who gives you butterscotch candies and tells you the same corny joke he's told you since you were five.
While he lacks the rhetorical vigor and flare of Barack Obama, he's very good at appealing to pathos, to the audience's emotions. McCain knows how to work the empathy angle, to make you believe he honestly cares about the "real" people he mentions in his speeches. Obama's better at appealing to logos, and it's when McCain tries to move into these appeals to logic that he loses me in contradictions and hypocrisy.
Now let's hop aboard the Double Talk Express.
First of all, did a candidate who has stated a goal to overturn Roe v. Wade just say he wants to appoint Supreme Court justices who will not "legislate from the bench"? How, exactly, do you plan to overturn a Supreme Court ruling without nominating justices who will do just that? Perhaps they're wrong, by Merriam-Webster defines legislate as "to make or enact laws." Appointing justices who will make and enact laws overturning laws you don't personally like sure seems like appointing ones who will legislate from the bench to me.
Second of all, he keeps trying to portray himself as the candidate who will free us from "paying $700 billion a year to countries who don't like us." Before T. Boone Pickens, a prominent oil man, came out and made this argument, you'd never find John "The Maverick" McCain making the same argument. But now that Americans are demanding it, McCain has jumped on the Big Green Bandwagon, ignoring his voting record and all those bills he voted against, most notably one titled, in a very straight-forward manner, "Reduction in Dependence in Foreign Oil". Hmmm. You want to reduce our dependence in foreign oil, yet you voted three years ago against a bill whose stated purpose was "To improve the energy security of the United States and reduce dependence on foreign oil imports by 40 percent by 2025"? Anyone got a pair of flip-flops I can smack together?
I also love how McCain and Palin and all those delegates with their "Drill Now" paraphanelia cling to this idea that increasing off-shore drilling will in any way lower gas prices now. Especially when one of McCain's senior advisors, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, admits offshore drilling will have “no immediate effect on supplies or prices” of gasoline in America. But it sure makes for a catchy bumper sticker.
And that's what we want, isn't it? Who cares if what he's telling you is right as long as it makes for a good sound bite.
04 September 2008
03 September 2008
Update re:Palin
Two words: not impressed.
After all the praise of her public speaking abilities, maybe I was expecting too much. After a week of rousing speeches by Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Beau Biden, Mark Warner, and not to mention one of the best speeches I've ever heard by Barack Obama, arguably the greatest orator in recent times, maybe I was expecting too much. But I expected more than a bulleted list of non sequitors.
I mean, really, how does being a victim of torture qualify John McCain to be our next president? I missed the connection.
Sure she's good at personal jabs. Sure she'll be a good attack dog. But am I any more comfortable about the fact that, should the Republicans win this election, the only thing standing between her and the presidency is a 72 year old man with a history of cancer? Not really.
She's also good at skewing facts and delivering outright falsities, or at least that's what examining public records shows you. Like when she mentions McCain's support of alternative energy. Sure he's claiming to support the development of alternative energy sources now, but if you examine his voting record (which, like all voting records, is available from Project Vote Smart) you'll see McCain either voted against or didn't show up to vote on every bill aimed at financing alternative energy research, such as the “Reduction in Dependence on Foreign Oil” amendment, or the “Energy Policy Act of 2005," which he voted against not once but twice. You want to talk about Obama saying one thing about people when they're listening and another thing when they aren't? Then let's talk about claiming to support something when the public favors it while you have a long history of voting against it.
And while we're on the subject, it's convenient for Palin to talk about her opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere," when in reality she supported the bridge during her 2006 campaign to become Alaska's governor. I'm just waiting for her to say "actually I did support the Bridge to Nowhere before I opposed it." Then will all the Republicans line up with their flip flops like they did in 2004?
Or how about her claim to be the great crusader again earmarks, when she fails to mention that, before she fought against earmarks, she fought for earmarks worth more than $27 million in federal funds for her hometown (of about 7,000 residents) as mayor and continued to use earmarks as governor of Alaska; many of these earmarks she supported and benefited from were criticized by McCain. Even as recently as this year, Palin argued that earmarking is a vital part of government, saying, "The federal budget, in its various manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and congressional earmarks are one aspect of this relationship." And let's not even get into her connection with lobbyists with ties to Jack Abramoff.
Straight talk? Hardly.
And then there's her claims about the Democrats. I love her claim that the only man in this election who has ever worked for change in congress is McCain, when McCain himself has claimed to have voted with Bush over 90% of the time. Or how she says Obama and Biden have no experience creating law. Uh, lady, it's called The Violence Against Women Act and it was authored by a certain senator from Delaware. But what can you expect from a woman who opposes equal pay for women and is running with a man who has repeatedly spoken out against equal pay?
And that claim that Obama has never authored a bill or law? Well, how about the Fair Pay Restoration Act, a bill Obama co-sponsored and McCain did not support? Or how about the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which Obama sponsored and was passed into law? Oh, right, she wouldn't want to mention that one since she's not a fan of honest leadership or open government, especially when it shows her ties to lobbyists and special interest groups.
While Palin isn't the best speaker I've heard at a convention rally (in fact, during one of the audience shots, I saw a woman who I'm pretty sure had either fallen asleep or died of boredom, or perhaps just finds comfort sitting with her head tilted back, her eyes closed, and her mouth hanging open) she sure is good at one thing: spin. This, like their opposition to women's rights, is one thing she shares with McCain.
And if I'm CNN, as soon as she starts accusing the media of being sexist because of their scrutiny of her, when in reality they're trying to figure out who the heck this woman is because no one had heard of her a week ago, that's the last time I show a shot of the cute youngest daughter holding and licking the baby.
After all the praise of her public speaking abilities, maybe I was expecting too much. After a week of rousing speeches by Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Beau Biden, Mark Warner, and not to mention one of the best speeches I've ever heard by Barack Obama, arguably the greatest orator in recent times, maybe I was expecting too much. But I expected more than a bulleted list of non sequitors.
I mean, really, how does being a victim of torture qualify John McCain to be our next president? I missed the connection.
Sure she's good at personal jabs. Sure she'll be a good attack dog. But am I any more comfortable about the fact that, should the Republicans win this election, the only thing standing between her and the presidency is a 72 year old man with a history of cancer? Not really.
She's also good at skewing facts and delivering outright falsities, or at least that's what examining public records shows you. Like when she mentions McCain's support of alternative energy. Sure he's claiming to support the development of alternative energy sources now, but if you examine his voting record (which, like all voting records, is available from Project Vote Smart) you'll see McCain either voted against or didn't show up to vote on every bill aimed at financing alternative energy research, such as the “Reduction in Dependence on Foreign Oil” amendment, or the “Energy Policy Act of 2005," which he voted against not once but twice. You want to talk about Obama saying one thing about people when they're listening and another thing when they aren't? Then let's talk about claiming to support something when the public favors it while you have a long history of voting against it.
And while we're on the subject, it's convenient for Palin to talk about her opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere," when in reality she supported the bridge during her 2006 campaign to become Alaska's governor. I'm just waiting for her to say "actually I did support the Bridge to Nowhere before I opposed it." Then will all the Republicans line up with their flip flops like they did in 2004?
Or how about her claim to be the great crusader again earmarks, when she fails to mention that, before she fought against earmarks, she fought for earmarks worth more than $27 million in federal funds for her hometown (of about 7,000 residents) as mayor and continued to use earmarks as governor of Alaska; many of these earmarks she supported and benefited from were criticized by McCain. Even as recently as this year, Palin argued that earmarking is a vital part of government, saying, "The federal budget, in its various manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and congressional earmarks are one aspect of this relationship." And let's not even get into her connection with lobbyists with ties to Jack Abramoff.
Straight talk? Hardly.
And then there's her claims about the Democrats. I love her claim that the only man in this election who has ever worked for change in congress is McCain, when McCain himself has claimed to have voted with Bush over 90% of the time. Or how she says Obama and Biden have no experience creating law. Uh, lady, it's called The Violence Against Women Act and it was authored by a certain senator from Delaware. But what can you expect from a woman who opposes equal pay for women and is running with a man who has repeatedly spoken out against equal pay?
And that claim that Obama has never authored a bill or law? Well, how about the Fair Pay Restoration Act, a bill Obama co-sponsored and McCain did not support? Or how about the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which Obama sponsored and was passed into law? Oh, right, she wouldn't want to mention that one since she's not a fan of honest leadership or open government, especially when it shows her ties to lobbyists and special interest groups.
While Palin isn't the best speaker I've heard at a convention rally (in fact, during one of the audience shots, I saw a woman who I'm pretty sure had either fallen asleep or died of boredom, or perhaps just finds comfort sitting with her head tilted back, her eyes closed, and her mouth hanging open) she sure is good at one thing: spin. This, like their opposition to women's rights, is one thing she shares with McCain.
And if I'm CNN, as soon as she starts accusing the media of being sexist because of their scrutiny of her, when in reality they're trying to figure out who the heck this woman is because no one had heard of her a week ago, that's the last time I show a shot of the cute youngest daughter holding and licking the baby.
Update re:dog
I dropped Ixi off at the vet this morning and picked her back up around 5:00 this evening. She's doing about as well as a 14-pound dog who just recovered from anaesthesia and is wearing a plastic lampshade around her neck can be expected to do. I don't know when we'll learn the results of the histopathology they're performing on the mass, but hopefully it's soon, and hopefully it's good news.
On an exciting note, we now have two more medications to give her. Yay! She loves medicine! (Note that I cannot remember the last time I ended two sentences in a row with exclamation points.) And she gets to wear the plastic lampshade for two weeks. Yay!
In other news, I'm still not prepared for my foreign language exam tomorrow. The good news is I can keep retaking it; I just need to have it finished before I complete my coursework and start my dissertation. Taking it tomorrow seems pointless, and I would be inclined to skip out if I hadn't already payed $30 to take the test. But, I tell myself, this will help me to prepare for the exam when I take it in the future.
See, I have to have "reading knowledge" of two foreign languages or "mastery" of one. The difference between reading knowledge and mastery? Time. The test consists of translating two 250-word passages into English with the use of a dictionary. (Simple, you say? Looking up words in a dictionary takes up a lot more time than you may expect.) For reading knowledge, I have to translate both passages in under three hours. For mastery, I have to do it in under an hour and a half. At this point, I know I'm not going to get mastery: I'm just not that fluent. I considered accepting reading knowledge and trying later to pass the French exam, but now I think it may be easier to practice for a while and improve my German vocabulary and retake the exam over the summer or next fall and shoot for mastery. Taking the test tomorrow seems pointless since I know that, even if I pass with reading knowledge, I'm going to take it again.
In related news, I love grad school. Not really. The first week was great, but now I'm quickly remembering why I disliked it the first time round. I'm sure it will get better once I start actually workshopping in my fiction writing class, but for now I'm tired of school. The long weekend only made me want to take a longer vacation. But that's how holidays always make us feel, isn't it? We only want a longer break.
Unless you're Frances. And then you're just a nerd.
On an exciting note, we now have two more medications to give her. Yay! She loves medicine! (Note that I cannot remember the last time I ended two sentences in a row with exclamation points.) And she gets to wear the plastic lampshade for two weeks. Yay!
In other news, I'm still not prepared for my foreign language exam tomorrow. The good news is I can keep retaking it; I just need to have it finished before I complete my coursework and start my dissertation. Taking it tomorrow seems pointless, and I would be inclined to skip out if I hadn't already payed $30 to take the test. But, I tell myself, this will help me to prepare for the exam when I take it in the future.
See, I have to have "reading knowledge" of two foreign languages or "mastery" of one. The difference between reading knowledge and mastery? Time. The test consists of translating two 250-word passages into English with the use of a dictionary. (Simple, you say? Looking up words in a dictionary takes up a lot more time than you may expect.) For reading knowledge, I have to translate both passages in under three hours. For mastery, I have to do it in under an hour and a half. At this point, I know I'm not going to get mastery: I'm just not that fluent. I considered accepting reading knowledge and trying later to pass the French exam, but now I think it may be easier to practice for a while and improve my German vocabulary and retake the exam over the summer or next fall and shoot for mastery. Taking the test tomorrow seems pointless since I know that, even if I pass with reading knowledge, I'm going to take it again.
In related news, I love grad school. Not really. The first week was great, but now I'm quickly remembering why I disliked it the first time round. I'm sure it will get better once I start actually workshopping in my fiction writing class, but for now I'm tired of school. The long weekend only made me want to take a longer vacation. But that's how holidays always make us feel, isn't it? We only want a longer break.
Unless you're Frances. And then you're just a nerd.
02 September 2008
Worries
I took the dog to the vet today to check out several things. For one, she has this sore beside her ear, a dime-sized lump, that she's been scratching at all weekend. She also has these bumps on her belly, and she's been obsessively licking and biting at her paws. The vet thinks she has allergies, and the discoloration around her mouth and on her paws is caused by her saliva. So he precribed benadryl.
More worrisome, the spots and dry skin on her belly are from a staph infection. He gave me some antibiotics to try to clear it up, and some antibiotic shampoo.
But the worst news is about the lump beside her ear. It's some sort of mass, and I have to take her in for surgery tomorrow to remove it and find out what it is. It could be from the allergies and stress, the vet said. Or, worse, it could be a cancerous tumor. They're going to remove it tomorrow and have it tested and let me know, and, as the vet said, "if it is cancer, we'll take it from there."
So now I'm upset and on the verge of tears because the dog we just got a week and a half ago may have cancer. And Erika comes home from work around 4:30, from her first day working since having her surgery, and she has to work an eight-hour shift, so she's going to be tired and depressed and in pain, and then I have to tell her the dog she's already fallen in love with may have cancer. I know she's not going to take it well. I know she's going to get hysterical, and I don't know how to face that.
Making things worse, I've just had to give the dog two pills, and she hates taking pills. I have to use one of those plastic syringe-looking things to shoot the pill down her throat, or else she'll just spit them up. She already wasn't happy with me for taking her to the vet, then I had to do that, and then I had to give her a bath with the shampoo the vet gave her. She didn't like that at all. As soon as she was done and dried off and I let her go, she ran to the end of the hall, hunkered down, and growled at me, baring her teeth. She's never been that way, and it scared me. And now she's acting super aggressive and running all over the apartment and barking and growling and knocking things around. She's never acted like this. She's always been so calm and sweet. I don't know if it's the bath or a reaction to one of the pills. The vet said the benadryl would knock her out; I'm afraid it has had the opposite reaction and she's wound up from it.
I'm already stressed out because I've been putting schoolwork off all weekend, and I have my foreign language exam on Thursday, and I haven't been able to practice as much as I should. And now, with all of this, I don't know if I'll be able to practice tonight. Shit. I'm a bit of a wreck right now.
More worrisome, the spots and dry skin on her belly are from a staph infection. He gave me some antibiotics to try to clear it up, and some antibiotic shampoo.
But the worst news is about the lump beside her ear. It's some sort of mass, and I have to take her in for surgery tomorrow to remove it and find out what it is. It could be from the allergies and stress, the vet said. Or, worse, it could be a cancerous tumor. They're going to remove it tomorrow and have it tested and let me know, and, as the vet said, "if it is cancer, we'll take it from there."
So now I'm upset and on the verge of tears because the dog we just got a week and a half ago may have cancer. And Erika comes home from work around 4:30, from her first day working since having her surgery, and she has to work an eight-hour shift, so she's going to be tired and depressed and in pain, and then I have to tell her the dog she's already fallen in love with may have cancer. I know she's not going to take it well. I know she's going to get hysterical, and I don't know how to face that.
Making things worse, I've just had to give the dog two pills, and she hates taking pills. I have to use one of those plastic syringe-looking things to shoot the pill down her throat, or else she'll just spit them up. She already wasn't happy with me for taking her to the vet, then I had to do that, and then I had to give her a bath with the shampoo the vet gave her. She didn't like that at all. As soon as she was done and dried off and I let her go, she ran to the end of the hall, hunkered down, and growled at me, baring her teeth. She's never been that way, and it scared me. And now she's acting super aggressive and running all over the apartment and barking and growling and knocking things around. She's never acted like this. She's always been so calm and sweet. I don't know if it's the bath or a reaction to one of the pills. The vet said the benadryl would knock her out; I'm afraid it has had the opposite reaction and she's wound up from it.
I'm already stressed out because I've been putting schoolwork off all weekend, and I have my foreign language exam on Thursday, and I haven't been able to practice as much as I should. And now, with all of this, I don't know if I'll be able to practice tonight. Shit. I'm a bit of a wreck right now.
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