They usually know how to campaign

Senator Obama recently noted, "the Republicans don't govern very well, [b]ut, they know how to campaign," recent events notwithstanding, such as the interesting events surrounding Gov. Palin and the federal government's apparently decent response to Hurricane Gustav. By that he was implying that the Republican party is very good at talking people into voting against their own best interests, such as voting for the party that wants to keep health insurance in private hands by implying people have a choice in their care (as if, even for the middle class realistic choices are few) that they wouldn't have under socialized medicine. As evidenced by many events of the last years, one could argue that the GOP seems to want incompetent people running government so they argue that government is so bad that voters will demand that there be less of it.

Of course, what Senator Obama failed to point out is that the campaigning by the GOP doesn't stop with the election. They keep on going. The GOP has been excellent in getting the public to ignore that the Bush administration has greatly expanded the federal government in budget, departments, people, and intrusion into average Americans lives while increasing the nation's debt by hiding behind his social conservative views, such as his love of the religious right (his base), anti-abortion stance and privatizing social security. Of course, the Democrats don't exactly have clean hands over the last 8 years. The Patriot Act was voted in almost unanimously without even being read. Under pressure from the GOP, most of the Democrats in Congress abandoned their jobs and just let the executive branch roll over them. This continued even after they got control of Congress. Whether that is the Dems being weak or the GOP being strong, with that record, it is hard not to admire the Republican party. And if it weren't for the federal government's failed response after Hurricane Katrina 3 years ago, their dreams of a super majority may have continued.

Still, the last few days have been amusing as more comes out about Governor Palin. From what I read, she seems like a nice, bright person whose qualification for being vice president seems to rely on the Constitution and views that appeal to conservative right. In fairness, the role of the VP is basically to go to funerals, breaks ties in the Senate and to make sure that the President still has a pulse so in that regards, she is fine. However, as McCain is a 72 year old cancer survivor, I worry that she may not be qualified to step in as President if something happened to a President McCain. I imagine most of Vice President Cheney's detractors would admit that Cheney has the experience and ability to run the country if something were to happen to President Bush. It seems, in an effort to break away from the "corruption" that has overtaken the GOP over the last decade or so, that McCain has thrown out the baby with the bathwater -- throwing out the good campaigners along with the Washington insiders that has broken the system.

Personally, I don't really care about labels. Give me a socially liberal/fiscally conservative candidate willing to re-evaluate our entitlement programs, make proper investments in our future, which includes understanding that our borrowing from the Chinese to pay the Arabs for oil needs to be addressed ASAP and I'll be happy. Whether that person is a Democrat or Republican is besides the point. I just want a leader who will put this government back on the right track.