a)     Inspiring Orator with Promises of Change

b)    Short Tempered Neocon Convert in Reformer’s Clothing

c)     Uncharismatic Genuine Real Life Conservative

d)    None Of the Above

A few weeks ago I got a forwarded email that contained what a friend may have viewed as political humor but struck me as the kind of insidious Karl Rove style of propaganda directly targeted towards a particular voting demographic that Kerry in 2004 and ironically John McCain in 2000 felt the wrath of in the voting booths. It had no reference to its origin, but it was the kind of fear mongering crap disguised as sarcasm to fill those bellied up to the bar, or an NRA meeting, with bluster and self assuring “patriotic” swagger.

This led me to hastily send out a blunt, cathartic(for me) response copied to everyone in my address book, daring all those that received it to send it out to anyone they know… but I mistakenly forgot  to put them all into BCC so they would show up as “Undisclosed Recipient” to everyone else and it led to quite the flurry.  I probably pissed a few people off with what turned out to be essentially an unsolicited blog.

After everybody got a mailbox full of mostly heart felt and thoughtful responses from people who were obviously from beyond the first level of recipients, a line in a response from one of my dearest friends read: “…sometimes I wish I could just vote None of the Above” and that started the wheels turning. So here in its proper place, are my continued thoughts:

Well, “None of the Above” is actually a choice on some precinct’s ballots for different voting situations…though I don’t think you’ll find that choice on November’s Presidential Ballot.  Although you can indeed write in “None of the Above” in the space provided for Write-In candidates which should appear on all Presidential Ballots to serve the same purpose. There are even several organizations promoting this practice i.e: http://www.votenoneoftheabove.us/

So…

If Bob Barr doesn’t:

• Inspire you to look beyond his infrequent media appearances and recognize him as the only Real Conservative on the Ballot.
• Educate you that he aspires to the core concepts that originally formed the Republican party touting a small, fiscally responsible, focused federal government that keeps America safe but stays out of your wallet and your personal life.
• Make you ponder what a Market Driven Economy might look like without all the Lobbyists guiding policy.

If McCain’s camp can’t convince you that:

• The now unrecognizable Maverick of the 2000 campaign is still his own man and not a puppet of Big Oil and Big Money like his voting record and alliances over the last couple years has proven him to be.
• Their flavor of Neocon Kool-aid won’t be as fatal to the American economy, budget deficit, jobs, environment, standing in the world, & most of all our soldier’s lives as the current administration’s brand has proven to be
• The Corporate Lobbyists crowding into the Straight Talk Express are there only with your best interests in mind.
• McCain’s chief Economic advisor was just kidding when he said that Americans are a bunch of “whiners” and the so called economic slowdown is our “mental” apparition.
• Not remembering owning 7 homes actually is not elitist or privileged and he really does feel the pain of the struggling middle class and desperate poor.
• Needing Joe Lieberman and others to whisper in his ears to get the facts correct aren’t signs of senior moments or gaps in neural connectivity.
• The cancer-scared-72-year-old’s judgment was rock solid when choosing a wet behind the ears Cover Girl that needed to ask for job description of the VP spot, that governed a oil cash flush state who’s population is smaller than some school districts, who proclaimed herself a “Maverick Reformer” despite her solicitation of Lobbyists to gain millions of dollars for here district, who was for the “Bridge to No Where” before the media forced corruption charges on Stevens(and she kept the money that was already dolled out anyway), who’s handlers won’t let her do a one-on-one interview for fear she’ll screw up, & that he had only briefly met once before tempting her to be the trusted Designated Driver for the Future of America & the Free World.

If Obama’s Camp fails to:

• Debate the real issues instead of stooping to the personal attack mode(which is what you do if you have nothing to run on) or the FOX “News” favorite God, Guns, Gays, and Flag Pin level.
• Deflect the constant attempts of character assassination pumped out by the children of Rove.
• Convey that a negotiation and compromise are the way things work and how things get done…and that Partisanship and Unilateralism is how we got to were we are today.
• Sufficiently remind you that when the last “Tax and Spend Liberals” left the Oval Office, America had a multi-trillion dollar surplus, China wasn’t financing our oil habit, jobs where good, the Budget Deficit appeared to be a mountain we could attempt climb, and our children weren’t being shackled with the cost of an unjust war we couldn’t afford.

If  YOU don’t believe that government policy and world affairs are already being guided by the lop-sided voting turnout of the primaries; highlighted the by the fact that Bush is talking timetables and sending Condy’s crew scrambling about talking to talk to Iran, Libya, and other axes of evil.

…then by all means don’t settle for the lesser evil and make it clear that Americans won’t settle for mediocrity.

“None of the Above”

is a choice that we all have in November.

Is McCain’s position on Cuba just another example of pandering to the conservative base, a political move for cementing his vote in Florida, or does he really think that continuing decades worth of failed policy is going to change them?

When his “new found base” supported Chinese WTO membership, MFN status, and normalized trading relations with Vietnam it was oh so good for the country and put America into its proper position at forefront of the Global economy. However when the vote comes to older Cubans in Florida, McCain hides behind the American Flag spouting idiocy like…”we will never sit down with a regime that tortured my fellow solders in Vietnam”. Let me see, wasn’t it Vietnam who was doing most of this torturing? Wasn’t China who supported the communists in Vietnam with weapons, money, and advisors & troops? Wasn’t it China that held American prisoners during the Korean War and have yet to offer up any information about the vast number of missing troops.