Palin vs. Obama

Interesting news day. The spectacle of Jackson’s funeral, of course, leads the papers and online mags (http://www.slate.com/id/2222409/), but two stories show the growing chasm between both democrats and republicans and republicans and any semblance of reason. Obama has, in my estimation, taken another step in the right direction by arguing for limiting oil speculating (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/business/08cftc.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper). This is just the latest step in his attempt to restore some regulation over the markets and corporate activity – a necessary structural adjustment if we are to see a real, shared economic rejuvenation in the future. USA Today, on the other hand, reports that almost three in four Republicans would vote for Sarah Palin for President (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-07-07-palin-poll_N.htm). Should I write that again – three in four Republicans would vote for Sarah Palin for president! I thought Bush was the least qualified president in history, but Palin makes him look like a near genius. Has the party lost its way this much? Has the insanity of the lunatic fringe moved to the mainstream? Can anyone truly believe Palin is ready to run the country, dealing with the financial crisis, Iraq and Afghanistan, Healthcare reform, or any of the challenges now facing the country? She seems as petulant and uninterested in anybody else’s opinions as Bush was (outside of Cheney and Rumsfeld, of course), and just as lacking of knowledge about the U.S,. and the world. Isn’t it time to move beyond the cult of celebrity and actually consider worthy candidates for president? Apparently not yet.