Below is an excerpt of Tim Pawlenty’s address to the Republican Convention. I had to catch his speech on C-span because Fox and MSNBC had their respective blow hards on talking absolute nonsense while The Minnesota Governor addressed the convention crowd in his home state. I was curious about his remarks because, until Gov. Palin burst onto the scene, Pawlenty was the likeliest of choices to be McCain’s VP selection. His comments refer to McCain’s appeal to traditional Republicans:

“He understands the concerns of everyday Americans like you and me.
What I like to call "Sam's Club Republicans.
These voters are on a tight budget.
They're looking for value and accountability at the store. And they're looking for value and accountability from their government.
John McCain connects with Sam's Club voters.
He gets it.
He will force government to live within its means, just like families do.”

This comment may seem innocent enough. But it points to a fundamental and underlying problem with the Republican message. Hey, don’t worry; I’ll point out the fundamental problem with the Democratic message shortly.

Who doesn’t love to drive their mini van to Sam’s Club to go load up with hundreds of dollars of groceries and have a fully stocked pantry and sit back and be happy with the fact that, once they take into consideration the gas money they burned to get to outskirts of town where Sam’s clubs are generally located and the annual club fee, they may have saved 5% on their overall grocery bill? It’s a good feeling indeed. Who doesn’t love that feeling?

I’ll tell you who: Those that don’t have a mini van and must walk or take public transportation to the grocery – or what passes for a grocery in many urban/inner city areas. Those that can only spend $50 a week and can only haul home one or two bags of what is deemed absolutely necessary for a few days. Those who live in “food deserts” – and there are millions- who don’t have access to healthy foods, fresh vegetables, and anything other than processed crappy food that is marked up 300%. Those Dollar General shoppers who do themselves a service by making an effort to save a few pennies by walking, taking the bus or cab, or driving their cars a few extra blocks out of their way to “splurge” on brand name items nearing expiration or being on “close out” that may only be marked up 50%. This is a real problem in America still. It exists in every city in the country of any size. It affects people of all types, living on fixed incomes and tight budgets. It’s generally the hardest working most overlooked segment of our population that’s most affected. It has a trickle down effect on many of the other issues plaguing America like the rising cost of health care, obesity rates, crime (nothing disenfranchises folks like not being able to afford staples). The absurdly, comically Caucasian Republican Convention attendees know nothing of this world. I promise you, one of John McCain’s 6 homes isn’t located in a food desert…maybe a real desert, but not a food desert.

But perhaps the Republican Machine simply doesn’t care. If you are a voter who can not get to the polls, or traditionally has not gone to the polls, you are inconsequential. You are a number that doesn’t matter. You are not part of the Republican’s target market. For the people, by the people, of the people, but only if you can show a Sam’s Club Membership card.

It is a good thing that both candidates/parties are running on a platform of change. The last 16 years have provided our country with extremely poor, unethical leadership. Lies, horrible lies, corrupted the Clinton and Bush reigns. Obama and McCain have distanced themselves from their respective predecessors. The shame of it is Hillary would have been a great vice-presidential candidate. But with Hilary comes Bill. The image of him, mouthing “I love you” to Hilary as she spoke to the Democratic convention literally made me ill.

And that is the baggage that the Democratic Party carries with it. As a former Democrat and newly self appointed independent voter who felt betrayed by Clinton, in particular, I believe empty great speech giving and empty rhetoric haunts the Dems. I would love to see Obama narrow his focus on three actionable issues on which he feels his administration can truly affect change. He can make a difference on the tone of the campaign by getting a taut message together and repeating a specific mantra at each stop and challenging McCain to do the same. American voters want and will listen to specifics from Obama.

---------------------------Digression warning!!!!!!-------------------
By the way, any of you who think the Lipstick on a Pig comment was directed at Palin, need to grow up. Furthermore you need to stop contributing to the ridiculousness that the Republican machine – not necessarily McCain – but the machine, is perpetuating on us all. Shame on McCain for endorsing the ridiculous commercial airing that dares to address this non-issue. Also, if you are falling for the claim by these ugly Republicans that there is a liberal media bias, then you surely must believe in a Vast Left Wing conspiracy. After all, Hillary asserted a Right Wing one, so you must have one too. It’s a ridiculous assertion, and if you have a “fair and balanced” bone in your body, you’ll realize that media does serve an important service in our free country. Proof is in the lies from both the Clinton and Bush presidencies uncovered by tough, fair, reporting and journalistic integrity by America’s mainstream media outlets. I’m not talking cable news outlets, radio talk show hosts, and bloggers. And since when is the National Enquirer considered mainstream media. I heard somebody on Fox as quoting the National Enquirer as a culprit involved in a left wing media attack against Palin. Good Grief!
---------------------------But I Digress-----------------------------

As to Palin... If the Democrats had dug up a figure such as Palin, the Rove Right Wing machine, the very people who wrote Palin’s speech at the convention, would have drug her through the mud. McCain is a tough guy that is in good health and will likely – hopefully – live through an 8 year term…. but what if……? Palin gave a great speech that rallied the base and attracted fence sitting independents. But the very thing that attracted, could soon repel. If she repeats the empty rhetoric and folksy “attacks”, it will soon ring hollow. As an independent, I want to know much, much, much, more about her. Already some of the things asserted about her governing style and good decisions are being legitimately questioned. Thus the attacks from the Rove Republican Machine divert the questions and make us debate Pigs and lipstick. (By the way, you should check out this book, written by a McCain advisor who is a female)

While the vice presidential candidates should not be the primary focus, and let’s hope whomever the election winner is, their vice president will not be as hands on as Dick Cheney, we still need to feel comfortable with and know a lot about them. The “what if” factor with both presidential candidates is legitimate and frightening.

As for HillBippie, I don’t know who I am going to vote for yet. I am disappointed in McCain’s giving in to the machine. This is the very machine that slimed him in 2000. I want him to be a true maverick and distance himself from the ignorance of “pig in lipstick”. His age concerns me. His choice in VP concerns me. I am wary of Obama and his Democratic empty rhetoric. The reality of Washington is that change will come at a snails pace. I would really like to hear from Obama what his top 3 issues are and how, specifically, he will change them….I‘d like to hear that from McCain as well. I do think either would make the best president we have had in 20 years. For the first time in my voting life I can honestly say I could be persuaded to vote for either candidate. If we can keep the extremist machines out of the process, we can get the best these candidates have to offer.

Bring it to the middle boys, America has to have it. My advice is to not forsake the Dollar General shopper; they need our country’s focus more than the Sam’s Club shopper. Hone your message, stop the attack and diversions, buckle down and give us specifics.

HillBippie


PS...
In the sense of being truly fair and balanced I have made a couple of tentative decisions abut the KY elections. Go Yarmuth! Go Mitch! This could change, but both of these candidates have served and will serve us well. Now, all I have to figure out is how I am going to pay for the $200 my family’s Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance increased this month…..can somebody address that please….what shade was that lipstick anyway?

The primaries passed and some interesting lessons were learned. The biggest lesson learned was that the old way of campaigning and running a campaign are gone. By old I mean the mean spirited ugliness that permeated politics throughout the 90’s and into the election of 2004, ending with the midterm elections of last year.

Anne Northup seemed to have learned nothing from her senatorial defeat and went right after the sitting governor of her own party in a negative fashion, stating that she was only forecasting what the Dems were going to do in Sept, Oct, and Nov. Meanwhile Gov. Fletcher ran a campaign highlighting past successes and future intentions and won handily.

The Democratic primary was equally if not more eye opening. Steve Beshear beat a heavily funded “favorite” in Bruce Lunsford. But it was the 11th hour pull away by Beshear that was interesting. If not for an endorsement from Jonathon Miller and the 10’s of thousands of voters he had been able to reach with his “progressive – moderate” – dare we say HillBippie – stance, then we certainly would have faced a Lunsford ticket and campaign that promised to be less than positive.

As it stands KY is faced with a quality gubernatorial race with two campaigns that seem to want to keep the race above board with quality debates and fact based, forward looking, clean campaigning. The timing on our election is also going to put KY politics and our voters in a national limelight.

We’ve yet to decide how we are going to vote. But I vow to vote for the candidate who runs the cleanest race and outlines the best agenda for KY. One mantra we’d like to put forth to the political prognosticators and campaign advisors that will be keenly watching the KY gubernatorial election to identify trends for the nationwide election cycle in 2008 is this: You go negative you lose. Furthermore, Neo-cons and Liberals beware - the more moderate and progressive the candidate, the better the message, the better the likelihood of election victory. Kentucky can influence the rest of the country by doing three things in this upcoming election. 1) Listen with an open mind and educate ourselves about issues facing our state, 2) actually go vote, and, 3) Vote for the best candidate regardless of party affiliation.

It would be cool to have a record turnout for the election in November. It would send a strong message to the rest of the country. Please use HillBippie.com as a resource during the election season to either register to vote or to find your polling place. Choose a term that fits, “Progressive-moderate”, “Practical Idealism”, “HillBippie” and please help us spread the word.

Here at HillBippie we have been pondering the future direction of our website and mission. We want to create a community that can truly make a difference.  Several paths have been considered and we have decided to focus our efforts on Voter Registration and Voter Turnout, and general participation and involvement in the political process.  

This is the most important election cycle, certainly in my lifetime, but possibly in the history of our country.