This Crazy-Making Election

I've been looking at the latest presidental election polling with high hopes. I thought as Nov. 4 nears, Americans would get serious, and the numbers would show McCain improving and Obama slipping. While tonight the big news is that McCain and Obama are even in Missouri, other states show fluctuations in Obama's favor.

I spoke to a friend who was recruited by the McCain campaign to boost the base in Nevada. She's encouraged by her efforts, but daunted by the scope of her task. Florida, meanwhile, seems split once again, leaning very slightly to Obama at the moment, and we're all skeptical enough after eight years ago not to tolerate hanging chads.

Meanwhile, I read a piece on ABC's online portal by Michael S. Malone, long-time tech journalist, that acknowledges the obvious--the media obnoxiously and arrogantly flaunt their Obama-sympathies, putting opinions on the front page and letting Obama questionables slide while blowing up like volcanoes even items distant to the McCain campaign.

I'd heard accusations that the media were suppressing questions about Obama's qualification for the presidency; charges that the candidate was born in Kenya and not eligible to run for office. A convincing post on FactCheck.org laid my doubts to rest--they examined and photographed Obama's Hawaii-issued birth certification.

My big fear is that Obama's sounding platitudinous and centrist enough to coax votes but once in office will revert to his crippling leftist agenda.

A breathtaking Howard Stern show man-on-the-street poll by his sidekick Sal features Harlem, New York residents saying they love Obama and are cool with his support of right-to-life and staying in Iraq till we win. They say they're comfortable with Obama's choice of Sarah Palin as vice-presidential running mate, and that she'd do just fine as president, should Obama be unable to serve. In other words, these voters gung-ho for Obama have no idea what he stands for or who he's selected as his Number Two.

It's that runaway emotionalism that could get our nation into economic ruin in an attempt to "spread the wealth" down to those clueless voters. Trouble is, when Obama's taxmen go to find the wealth to spread, the smart people who earned it will also know how to hide it. And they'll be less motivated to sacrifice and push to accumulate it. Especially if their heirs have to sell the biz and family homestead to give half of that hard-earned profit--which was already taxed once--to the government.

This week I'm the chauffeur, cook, adviser and money-doler for our 16-year-old son (who takes his driving test Thursday) as my husband hits the road doing his bit to show voters why they're better served by McCain. It's tougher here without him, though nothing compared to the brave families who carry on for months and years while their husbands and wives in the military work in harm's way halfway around the globe.

And that's the bottom line. Most voters don't care much about politics or policies. It's the daily struggles and rewards that make up our lives, and at this point I've got to stop looking at poll numbers, perhaps pray a little more, and appreciate these crisp fall days and the astonishing colors of our world.

Target Assumes Customers are Liberal with McCain-bashing Greeting Cards

Last night I happened to drop in to my local Target store with my 19-year-old daughter, to buy a few toiletries. On the way to the checkstand, we passed the greeting cards, and a large section caught my eye, because it was separated and framed by a bright, oversized red-white-and-blue starred border shouting "Election 2008 cards!"

The first one I noticed, prominently displayed, showed the torso of a buxom young woman wearing a t-shirt (with wind blowing it enough to show her middle). Across the buxom part was written "Obama" in a trail of stars and stripes.

Next I noticed a card with a caricature of John McCain, wrinkled and prune-y. The word balloon over his head said "I'm for CHANGE!" "Hmm," I thought, wondering why they'd scream Obama's entire platform on a McCain card. When I opened it I knew--this was a big dis: "Change my bifocals to trifocals! Change from blood pressure medication to Viagra! Change from a cane to a walker!"

So, I perused the fronts of the remaining two dozen cards, and opened most of them, growing more and more irate--ALL of them were pro-Obama and anti-McCain! Just about every card about McCain had some insult about his age, or called him "McSame." Every card about Obama, on the other hand, implied his physical strength and vigor. As I stood expressing my shock and outrage to my daughter, another shopper, a man I'd guess was around 40, overheard and, eyeing the selection, agreed with me, saying to my daughter, "Listen to your mom! Your mom's right! Listen to your mom!"

If we weren't in a rush, I would have sought out the manager and lodged a complaint. As it was, we headed to the cash registers to pay. After placing our few items on the counter, the young, clearly bored checker asked, "Did you find everything OK?"

I'm sure he regretted the question, as I shot back, "I found a lot MORE than I wanted to! I was highly offended by the political greeting cards that insulted John McCain and praised Obama!" The checker shrugged and said, "Well, I don't have anything to do with that."

And of course he doesn't. I did tell the president of our local conservative women's group, who put out an email alert to the 500 members on the list, and I plan to return to Target (tomorrow, I hope) and talk to the manager. I'll also try to write down the content of a few more of the cards, so you can share my angst at the one-sidedly mean-spirited attitude Target has embraced. I'm not going to lamely declare a boycott (I love their dollar bins too much) but I do think that even a handful of disgruntled comments will let the management see that even in liberal Seattle, McCain bashing just won't fly.
(Cards displayed here are from a site called Zazzle, not from Target.)