Last week, before the Republican National Convention, I wrote a piece (directly below) which espoused the hypocrisy of the Republican Party. It was, admittedly, a biased account of why I personally think the GOP is the party of hypocrisy. However, in watching the RNC and trying to remain as objective as possible, there was no short of grand old hypocrisy coming from the lectern for three nights.
Lets start by going at Mitt Romney. Romney famously declared that "we need change alright. Change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington!" Obviously the crowd was delighted to hear that.
One thing though: the White House has been held by one of the most conservative presidents in modern history and Congress has been dominated by Republicans for the last 6 of 8 years.
In that time the government has ballooned the deficit by simultaneously cutting taxes and waging two wars. It has increased the size of the bureaucracy and has overseen the most extensive truncation of civil liberties in this nation's history with the Patriot Act.
Romney then goes on to espouse the importance of keeping the "Eastern Elite" out of government, effectively starting the culture war that this election is turning into.
The last time I checked, Romney was the governor of Massachusetts and the former CEO of a private equity firm. Not to mention that he was born into a society were his father was a successful American businessman whose friends were hotel magnates. Sure, Romney has a lot in common with the middle class of America.
I could stop there, but no, I have to move on to Rudy Giuliani. He stated "I guess Barack Obama doesn't think Governor Palin's hometown is...cosmopolitan enough." Great jab from a pro gay, anti gun, thrice married mayor of New York City. This is a guy who used city funds to trip weekend getaways with his mistress to the Hamptons. He knows so much about small town family values.
Obviously, it doesn't stop there with Rudy. "He was...a community organizer. What?" And chuckled very smugly afterwards. I guess dedicating a part of your life to making the world around you a better place is laughable. Tell that to the NYPD and FDNY, Giuliani. They stood by him after 9-11 and he milked it politically as far as possible. Too bad they abandoned him after he tried to extend his mayorship by suspending elections due to being in a state of emergency and mongering fear among the citizens of New York. Hitler, anyone?
Sarah Palin echoed these sentiments in her speech. Right after she espoused the importance of family values and small town communities. So, I guess we should place family and community at the utmost importance but...do nothing about it? Yeah that sounds about right.
Senator Obama only graduated from Harvard Law School and turned down a mulit-million dollar career on Wall Street to travel to one of the worst neighborhoods in the United States to help people find housing, get jobs, and an education. Sure, that's very cosmopolitan and elitist. He's definitely out of touch with that community, even though he still lives there.
I can go on and on here, but I think you get the point. These guys will say anything to win the White House and stay in power. They will exploit the deaths of 3000 Americans to scare you into thinking that they are the only party capable of defending this country. This would make Goebbels proud. McCain's advisers recently disclosed that Palin probably wouldn't have been on the ticket had Hillary Clinton been nominated as VP. Really?
So the Republicans chose a candidate, who could potentially be president, based on a political calculation instead of concrete qualifications. They are in it for their own survival and are willing to sacrifice the leadership and future of the United States for it. Country first, huh?
