Leslie Knope for VP.

I have long-term wishes for Parks and Rec. Now that Leslie Knope has won the race for city council, I’d like to see her become mayor. Then, after she becomes mayor, she needs to be vetted for the next democratic ticket as VP and run alongside someone who is suspiciously like Hillary Clinton (why hasn’t there been a cameo yet? Just saying. She could even just be sitting in the background texting.).

I like to think that it could be an interpretation of the Sarah Palin story if Palin had been likable and exhibited an admirable work ethic. And didn’t want to shoot wolves from helicopters.

Maverick

In light of Senator John McCain’s senate record of the last few years (and in celebration of the repeal of DADT passing!), I would like to respectfully demand that he relinquish his self-proclaimed title of “Maverick.”

And I do believe that he honestly thinks he’s a maverick.

Just like I do believe that this woman honestly thinks she’s not crazy.

Now, Webster defines “maverick” as two things:

1. an unbranded range animal; especially: a motherless calf
2. an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

Let’s assume that when McCain claims to be a maverick, he doesn’t mean this:

But, surely, he cannot mean this:

Now, here is where my despair clearly shows through – where I mourn the loss of true Republicans who were social liberals, because they ACTUALLY wanted less government. The Republicans in office today DO want less government … in their pockets. They are all about having the government in our personal lives.

So it would make sense that Senator McCain, who identifies so frequently and vehemently as a “Maverick,” would recognize the opportunity to vote against his party, do the right thing, and use his position of privilege to extend civil rights to one of this country’s largest minorities. Except for not.

I would also like to take this opportunity to say that I do not resent McCain for his service – I admire him for serving in general, and even moreso for serving during a time of war. HOWEVER, I do not believe that his word should be law on this just because he served. Kerry served, too – in the same war – and he doesn’t have a problem with repealing DADT.

Truman desegregated the troops in 1948, so McCain didn’t have a choice about serving with men of color – does his adamant support of DADT also mean that he would have opposed desegregation of the troops if THAT were to have come to vote while he was serving?

McCain’s inconsistency leads me to believe many things, not the least of which being:

• McCain is homophobic to a fault
• McCain vastly underestimates the troops if he thinks they can’t get over their fellow men and women being gay (and if something like that bothers them so much, then maybe they aren’t stable enough to be wielding AK-47s)
• McCain needs to stop calling himself a maverick

For once, I think that Urban Dictionary may be spot on. Their second definition of “maverick” is:

not John McCain.

This election should die in a fire.

Let’s take gender politics out of this for a minute.

This election cycle has been shamefully petty and counterproductive – in a time when we can LEAST afford for it to be so. I DON’T CARE how awful your opponent is. Frankly, I think 95% of you who got the nomination for your party are awful. If you’re running for office in this climate, odds are that you’re either an attention whore or a masochist or both. I don’t really want an attention whore masochist governing me, but my choices are limited.

So, instead of telling me how crappy the other person is, tell me what YOU plan on doing to make things better – because right now? They suck. There’s no dignified term for it.

Subjecting us to the politics of FEAR is demeaning and counterproductive.

Every time you bitch about how the education system is failing us without offering a solution, you are acting as a shining example of the lack of critical thinking that is endemic in our public school system. USE YOUR BRAIN, and PLEASE ASSUME THAT I ALSO HAVE ONE.

Because again, I already think that you and your opponent are attention whore narcissists. You’re both awful. Stop telling me what I already know.

Please tell me how you’re going to make things better. No, really. PLEASE tell me how you’re going to make things better.

Now let’s put gender politics back into it for a minute.

This is the ad that instigated this entry. It was on a FOOD BLOG (politics belong there why? Oh, and I’d venture a bet that the audience is disproportionately women), and consisted of a .gif with these two alternating images:

SERIOUSLY? “Don’t take away my medicine”??? Is that what we’ve come to?? This is a race between two WOMEN for the governorship of New Mexico.

How ashamed am I, as a progressive, that this ad is being run by a female democrat? Can you not be better than this? I expect crazy people, like Martinez (who is backed by the Ultimate in Crazy – Sarah Palin) to use these tactics, because the vast majority of republicans have been following the politics of Rove like the Hebrews behind Moses ever since 2000. But really, Denish – really?? You should be ashamed.

Martinez should also be ashamed, but obviously she doesn’t know what that means if she’s willing to take an endorsement from the Grande Herald of Incompetence known as Sarah Palin.

 

P.S. I don't like Palin.

 

The term “the year of the woman” is getting thrown around a lot this election cycle, because of the number of female candidates running for high ranking offices. Wonderful. Except that women voters are less enthusiastic than ever.

In a context in which 13.9 percent of women are now officially living in poverty (the highest rate in 15 years) and facing long-term unemployment, it’s not surprising that women lack enthusiasm for voting. What’s missing, for most women, are the political narratives about the things that matter to them: good jobs, clean air, health care and what it will really take to rebuild our national economy.

What our decades of work with thousands of grass-roots leaders across America have taught us is that women are impressed by solutions, not sound and fury.

The repugnant election tactics of today are not going to change until they stop working. Please don’t vote for candidates because of fear. Don’t lend these people any credibility of which they are unworthy – democrat, republican, tea party (ugh), green, independent, or otherwise.

Teapots

To whomever wrote this article, I love you.  How much?  So much that you are Paint-worthy.

You bunch of sexists!!!!!!!