(Ir)religiosity

I’m not really interested in splitting hairs about who won and who lost.  I think Palin did surprisingly well simply by not fumbling and Biden maintained the status quo — of retatining the lead — simply by not saying anything inappropriate or flying off the handle.

I did find a quote by Palin very interesting if not disturbing.

“That world view that says that America is a nation of exceptionalism. And we are to be that shining city on a hill, as President Reagan so beautifully said, that we are a beacon of hope and that we are unapologetic here. We are not perfect as a nation. But together, we represent a perfect ideal. And that is democracy and tolerance and freedom and equal rights. Those things that we stand for that can be put to good use as a force for good in this world.”

I can’t underscore how dangerous this line of thinking is.  American exceptionalism is one of the greatest lies perpetrated by our government since this nation’s inception.  It is a myth that fuels nationalism and xenophobia and allows loose cannons like our current leadership to expand American imperialism under the guise of “spreading freedom and democracy.”  It is one of our biggest and most compelling fictions and it is present on both sides of the political spectrum.  More than a year ago, Barack Obama stated that “America is the last best hope for Earth.”  That sort thinking can — and has — justified some of the worst things imaginable.

American exceptionalism is false monomyth, indeed a false metanarrative, that can only be remedied by being destroyed.

I’d like to think the choices in the election will lead to that, but I wonder.

This was a lot of fun last week and I was fortunate enough to have several people participate in the commentary.  So — I thought we could have at it again.  There should definitely be more to talk this time around.

Check back here for live updates beginning at 9 PM EST.

As long as my notebook continues to hold up, I’m planning to liveblog the presidential debate starting in about an hour (9PM EST). Check back here for live updates. [Ht. to Matt Scott for the cool Cover it Live platform]

Last Sunday John McCain emphatically denied that his campaign manager had anything to do with Freddie Mac, one of the latest companies to receive corporate welfare. Looks like he lied.  The truth is the mortgage giant paid $15,000 a month from the end of 2005 through last month — roughly $500,000 in all — to a firm owned by McCain’s campaign manager.  How the hell do you explain that John? Kinda makes all the anti-special interests and ‘no more Washington business as usual’ talk ring a little hollow.

To be fair, Barack Obama is not immune either.  He has ties to the loan sharks as well.  In fact, he ranks second among members of Congress in donations from the firms’ employees and political action committees.  Both candidates have corporate connections that should be deeply disturbing to anyone who has been paying any attention to the economy as of late.

So — don’t believe everything they tell you.  Follow the money trail.  Turn off the news and read.  Be informed. This is as good a place as any to get started.

…there’s something about seeing it visually.  And I firmly believe that the integrity and morality of a group/nation/state is evidenced in how it cares for it’s weakest, most vulnerable members, particularly how the strong care — or fail to care — for the weak.

To be fair, I don’t think either way is the most ideal.  For that matter I don’t think our system itself is ideal, or even less than ideal, but that’s another thing altogether.  I do think we can at least do the best with what we have, for now, until we all get off the couch and participate in the uprising Zinn mentioned.

EDIT 4:51 PM EST: Here’s an even more interesting link to a visualization of the keywords dropped by both parties throughout the duration of the conventions. [Ht. Joe Kennedy]

I twittered this last night, but I think it’s worth posting.  Below are tag clouds of the words used most often my Barack Obama and John McCain in their acceptance speeches.  Very interesting.

Obama:

McCain:

Political action and democratic participation have been points of contention in the Christian community for quite some time.  Now, as the upcoming presidential election quickly approaches, the issue of voting and not voting as an act of resistance have been brought to the forefront — at least in the blogosphere.

An interesting observation is that the dying Christian Right and the new post-evangelical, or emerging movement converge on the issue of voting though they endorse opposite candidates.  Both seek to utilize the democratic process as a means to bring about justice, though they disagree vehemently as to what justice actually means or looks like.  This concerns me to an extent because I can see it leading to the formation new Christian Left, which in my mind is no better than its dwindling counterpart.  But that’s a different issue altogether.

A few months ago David Fitch, who blogs a Reclaiming the Mission, wrote a post advocating the notion of voting abstinence as an act of resistance in opposition to Empire and asserted the Hauerwasian claim that voting itself can and should be seen as an act of violence.  Fitch writes: Read the rest of this entry »

I didn’t predict this one right the first time.  Or the second.  But I will take credit for placing Joe Biden on my list before a lot of people.  I’m not sure what to make of this.  Biden has more foreign policy and national security experience than McCain, but other than that I’m not sure how this helps Obama.

Last month I listed some of the top prospects for the Democratic veep slot topping the list with my pick, Sen. Jim Webb from Virgina.  Looks like Webb doesn’t want the job as the semi-short list continues to shrink.  In a statement given today Webb stated, “Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for vice-president.” I’m a little disappointed, but the guy has got a bright future in the senate, and, maybe, perhaps the cabinet? [Ht. Jeremy Smith]

Last week I posted my reasons why Barack Obama should not choose Hillary Clinton as his VP and I promised a list of my top picks.  Here they are.

The Big 3

1.) Jim Webb. Matt stole my thunder on this the other day.  After it’s all said and done I’m hoping this guy is still standing; I really think he would be the best not only as next in line to the presidency but also as someone who can balance the ticket.  First, to be frank, Read the rest of this entry »