I probably won’t be posting much until after November, but if I do, it’ll probably be political, not technology-related. Thought I’d capture some things links for posterity though, the first being the Memeorandum frontpage today, which pretty much sums up where the election is at.
For me, what’s horrifyingly fascinating for me to watch is how quickly and how low the McCain campaign has sunk. It’s a really strange mixed feeling, because while it’s not at all surprising that it’s being waged (it’s been pretty clear that it’s the only way McCain could really hope to win) or that it’s working (tried and true Rovian tactics) and simply accepted by the media and by the American people, it’s still profoundly disappointing. It seems that with this progression, there are no limits in sight. It’s like a complete moral void – not just an absence, but like a dark sucking black hole. And people just don’t really mind. (Of course it goes without saying that getting elected has nothing to do with effective governance, policies, or issues.)
Josh Marshall does a good job of summing it up.
But what is already apparent is that John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest and race-baiting campaign of our lifetimes. So let’s stopped being shocked and awed by every new example of it. It is undignified. What can we do? We’ve got a dangerously reckless contender for the presidency and a vice presidential candidate who distinguished her self by abuse of office even on the comparatively small political stage of Alaska. They’ve both embraced a level of dishonesty that disqualifies them for high office. Democrats owe it to the country to make clear who these people are. No apologies or excuses. If Democrats can say at the end of this campaign that they made clear exactly how and why these two are unfit for high office they can be satisfied they served their country.
I’ll go back to my refrain, that at the end of the day, this election will be decided by whether individuals choose to stand up and take action, or to do nothing.
Related:
- McCain’s Integrity, Andrew Sullivan
- Apology Not Accepted, Joe Klein
- What’s the Pig Deal?, Washington Post (unserious is an understatement)
- McCain/Palin ’08: The Lie Is The Plan
- McCain-Palin Distorts Our Finding, FactCheck.org
- Damon Condemns Palin – surprisingly cogent, seems to get it a lot more than the media coverage