Bail Me Out of Here

I am taking a week off from blogging about US politics.

Sometimes you can get too close to this stuff. You start to lose your perspective and your sense of humour. That's why I don't trust reporters and TV pundits. They get so deep into the swamp that there's no way they can stay in touch with reality. They eat, sleep and breathe the news, and all of their conversations and phone calls are about politics. Within weeks, they forget that there is life outside of a studio and a laptop, and that regular people like plumbers and bakers even exist (and no, the guy that whips up the cookies at Starbucks is not a baker).

Over the past several months, I've blogged off and on about the US presidential election, but mainly stayed away from it until September. I was waiting for September to hit, because that is when things always get going.

I wasn't disappointed. September hit, and so did Palin, instantly sending my interest into the stratosphere. I think Governor Palin has opened up a political discussion that would never have happened if she wasn't in the race. I think that her presence has exposed the transparency of so many people, especially the so-called feminists. That discussion will continue for the next three weeks, or the next 4 years. One way or the other, I think it's a good thing, and it's changed the political landscape at least in the short term.

That said, I need to take a break from the race, because I don't know what I saw tonight. I know it was a debate between Obama and McCain, but what kind of debate? To hear a Republican presidential candidate say he wants to blow $300 billion on buying home mortgages is obscene. To hear a Democratic presidential candidate say he will attack Pakistan with or without provocation if he thinks there's terrorists there, but not really attack them, but yes attack them, but no, not invade them, but yes, attack them, but diplomacy would be nice, but yes, attack them...Iraq bad, Afghanistan good, Iraq bad, Darfur yes, Iraq no...

What the hell is this?

To top it off, they were both boring. Boooooooring. I don't know what it takes to get a presidential candidate passionate about the job, but I figure that domestic and international crises should do the trick. Apparently not. If two wars and an economic meltdown can't put a politician's pants in a twist, I don't know what will.

I found myself wishing Palin were debating Obama, or Hillary debating McCain. Passionate people that give a damn about the gig. Instead we were treated to a snooze-fest by two guys that don't know what the hell to do to lead the United States of America, and proved it with every generic, oh-so-safe answer they threw on the floor.

On points I would have given this debate to McCain, as he had more specifics than Obama. But that $300 billion mortgage trick he pulled out of his hat was just plain weird.

A long time ago, I wrote "Hillary for President." I was only half kidding. Now I'm not. The election needs a do-over. Hillary as Prez and Palin as her veep. Maybe two passionate women can actually shake the establishment out of its slide into a morbid malaise.

So, a week off. Time to re-energize, shake my head, and take another look when people might actually have something to say. I doubt it, but we'll see.

As luck would have it, I'm heading back to Canada just when the election up there is getting down to the wire. I'd love to say I'm interested, but I don't know if I can be bothered with that election either. Watching two political parties act like fools reminds me that the fifty political parties up north must make this election look like a bike ride.