Kenneth W. Chandler

Sarah Palin threw her hands in the air and she waved them like she just didn’t care, as Amy Poehler rapped about her killing moose and stumping about Billy Ayers. Palin’s record-breaking appearance on Saturday Night Live certainly helped introduce some light-heartedness into an otherwise increasingly intense, contentious, overwrought campaign season. The problem for the McCain camp is that it increased her celebrity role while continuing to negate any substance. Ironic, sense Obama had been accused of the same thing a few short months ago. I feel like the campaign has descended into fifth grade antics anyway – “don’t vote for him, he hung out with that meanie who said bad things”; “vote for us, I’m so popular and hot.” Sadly, just like in fifth grade, some will follow-suit accordingly. Meanwhile, Senator Biden sits in the corner spectating, advocating strongly for his President, speaking directly to the issues and we failed to notice. It’s as if we waved our hands in the air and we really didn’t care in his case.

I don’t condemn Governor Palin for going on Saturday Night Live, as she’s probably more useful there than on the campaign trail if I’m a McCain supporter. Part of her appeal is just a part of human nature; one of the things that makes President Clinton great is his charisma; who cares what he’s saying, when he looks directly into your eyes and grabs a hold of you emotionally. The difference is, Clinton compelled the nation intellectually, Palin seems to do so on some subversive self-mocking level and we’re not supposed to notice; sort of like when someone puts an emoticon after their passive aggressive sentence, as to say, don’t worry everything’s really ok. In fact, this is literally the case, as Palin winks at us constantly as if to tell us she’s on our side. But everything’s not ok when Joe the Plumber gets more attention than Joe the Senator.

But I’m through blaming human nature, and the media, and fifth grade politics, all of that is too easy even if valid. Given the current economic, political and cultural climate in the United States, the last thing I want is a continued mockery of our public offices and our country. The Palin/McCain ticket, as it’s now more appropriately called invites more laughter and unintentional gaffs for late night talk shows, but also leads us on a bridge to nowhere. Again, ironic since, it was Biden who invited such criticisms initially. In psychology, we call this projection. Joe the Senator provides substance and gives us hope and promise for more than laughter, not because he takes the train back to Delaware every night and certainly not because he’s from Scranton, but because he’s worldly, and opinionated and of strong moral character, the antithesis of Governor Palin. Really, it’s someone I wouldn’t want to have a beer with and I’m ok with that. I don’t know when we got to the point where someone I could have fun with made a good Vice President and someone who was intellectual and serious was outcast – oh yeah, fifth grade. When either President turns to someone for an opinion when we’re engulfed in some foreign policy issue in which he wants a quick answer – do you want Sarah Palin to wink at you, as if everything were ok or do you want Biden to reply based on his confidence, network and experience?

I really don’t care about Joe the Plumber, not to be uncompassionate, but he just doesn’t matter. I hope he has the same opportunities to succeed as everyone else, but McCain would have you believe that he is the key to our survival – like he really is “the one” or “that one.” Well, let me tell you about Joe the Senator should be Obama’s retort.  Joe’s been in business for all these years, worked 12 hours a day much like McCain says of the plumber and he’s going to help restore integrity to the office and stability to our nation, something Joe the Plumber can’t do. McCain’s going to help Joe the Plumber buy that business he’s worked his whole life for he claims. Right now, he and his running mate are going to help Joe the Senator attain the office that might just well help the world. Or did we just want better food in the cafeteria and longer recess? And maybe when you leave the country as relatively well off as Clinton did, we can stand for fifth grade politics (insert Bush here), but when we’re in the dire straits we are now, it’s time for America to take Joe’s mechanism and plunge playground politics and replace it with substantive change. Ms. Palin, can I call you Sarah? — you’re the biggest celebrity in the world, but are you fit to lead?