Tags
consequences, etiquette, honesty, idiots, joe biden, paul ryan, PBS, politics, realist, vice presidential debate, voting, youtube
Okay. So here’s my only political yabbering post I’m gonna do this year. And it’s not even truly political.
My laughing at VP Biden’s idiotic behavior during that debate earlier this month is completely separate from my personal beliefs about the issues or my current stance on which ticket will get my vote. I’m not going to say, one way or the other. I am staunchly not affiliated with any party, Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian, any other random party, or even the Justice League. If you know me at all, you may be able to figure out which side I’m currently on, but that’s not why I’m posting this. I don’t want to convince anyone to vote for any particular person. What I *DO* want to do is make sure that you are actually THINKING before you make your decision.
VP Biden was so over the top in that debate it was laughable. No… not “laughable” like he portrayed. His behavior was ridiculous, condescending, disrespectful, and bloviating. I was honestly shocked that he went as far as he did. I couldn’t figure out if he had completely lost his mind or if this was some kind of strategy imposed on him during extensive debate prep.
In any case, I realize that all of the pundits talk about how the VP portion of the ticket never makes a difference. As most of them say, paraphrased, “No one votes for the presidential candidate based on the vice-presidential candidate.” But I don’t see how you can ignore this. I don’t see how you can vote for a ticket with a VP candidate on it that you don’t want to ever be in charge of the doomsday button. God forbid anything would happen to a sitting President… but what if something DID happen? How can you *not* consider that possibility, ESPECIALLY with the current climate of hatred directed toward the USA? (I’m not going to address the idea being bandied about that some terrorist-types were/are actively trying to kill Obama so that Biden becomes the president. That’s a whole other issue and is a little too specific for what my point is.)
To me, not considering the VP on the ticket is illogical. I’m not just talking about this year’s election.
In any case… Take away the issues. Take away which side you agree with. Temporarily turn off your auto-bias for either side. And then re-watch the debate with the sound turned off. If you do those things, you may see what others you vehemently do not agree with can see in the nonverbal communication. It may do nothing to sway you in any particular direction, but that’s not the point.
The point is to take a step back, once in a while, and try to see things with an unbiased eye… without the filter of current talking points or blind devotion.
That’s all I ask.
(PBS YouTube full version – no commentary.)
Cheers!
Michelle
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