I could vote for Kerry now
I know that political conventions are scripted, designed, produced and promoted to give the nominee a big bounce in polls and voter awareness. Even knowing that, though, I was impressed by John Kerry's acceptance speech. I don't think it was award-winning rhetoric, but it was passionate, and well-made, and I could vote for him now.

These things I particularly liked:
1. "I don't wear my religion on my sleeve." And citing Abraham Lincoln, that we can only humbly pray that we are on God's side.
2. That he would not have a vice president who would meet in secret with corporate leaders to set public policy.
3. That his attorney general would uphold the Constitution.

And I see even more clearly that it is easier to hold a Democratic president or candidate accountable. We've had recent Republican presidents that got away with subverting the Constitution (Reagan), successful distancing from responsibility (Bush 41), and deliberate obfuscation of evidence in making the argument to commit our military forces to war (Bush 43). Yet the one Democratic president since 1980 can't even get laid in the White House without being investigated and nearly impeached.

Here's the big difference: Republicans want to tell me what I can do with my body ... they want to control my reproductive system, they want to tell me who I can and can't marry, and with John Ashcroft in charge of our legal system, they want to tell me what I can say, where I can say it and what I have to think while I'm saying it. (Have you read the PATRIOT act?) And while they say they want to put Americans back in control of their money, they're giving taxpayer money away in corporate welfare and subsidies that don't benefit the community. At least Democrats are more honest about why they want more money from taxpayers ... it just becomes a question of making sure it's spent more effectively ... something you can't control when you give it to a corporation.

It's time to pull up the Shrub, and all his little plantlings.
- posted by Chris @ 9:07 AM

 
War Zone
I went on a quick walking trip through the Capitol Hill area of Washington DC on Wednesday, on my way back home from a trip to Argentina (whole 'nother post) ...

I worked for a US Rep for a little over a year, over a dozen years ago. I remember the Capitol area as green, lovely, welcoming ... the stately ivory stone buildings open and accessible, the way they should be in a democracy.

No more. The place looks like a freakin' war zone. (Although I was muttering the other "f" word to myself as I walked around.) Yes, some buildings in the neighborhood are nicer now, some are new, but the House and Senate office buildings look like they're under seige, and the lovely east grounds of the Capitol are a construction zone out of a bad sci-fi movie. It was surreal and sad. Fences block everyone except those "authorized" from getting up onto the Capitol's terraces. Police personnel in their heavy black uniforms stand out starkly against the light stone, making their presence more ominous than comforting.

All I could think is "they're just buildings" and "this is not what America is about" ... I understand a drive and desire for security and safety. But honestly, we've never really been "safe" ... we've just been distant. Now that modern technology makes us so accessible, we see how vulnerable we have always been. But they're just buildings. And replaceable. So, realistically, are all of the people who work in them. That's what makes us a strong nation ... we don't invest our national identity in a single person, we are each a piece of America. We don't need to build fences around our centers of government ... we need to keep them open and accessible to everyone. We are our best defense ... educated, principled, and willing to embrace diversity.
- posted by Chris @ 3:02 PM

 
Where does the time go?
And there's always so much to think about, therefore blog about, but where have I been? Well, working, actually, and then trying not to think too much when I'm experiencing "downtime" :-).

Things that I want to think about today:
1. Dick Cheney should never be in a position to be the president of the United States. Period.
2. People who vote only the party ticket are doing all of us a disservice. Candidates need to be evaluated on their own merits, not their party affiliation, and party loyalists tend not to hold their people accountable.
3. Poll takers need to ask better questions, and poll watchers shouldn't take the results so seriously. If Shrub is down two points today, who cares? I want to know what he wants the world to look like in 5 years ... and don't give me a freaking soundbite. John Kerry: stop being so general ... if you want me to take you seriously as a presidental possibility, you need to have presence.
- posted by Chris @ 10:32 AM