The Court v. Public Opinion

I'll make this quick, which is probably a good thing since what I'm about to say likely won't be very popular.

Georges Clemenceau once famously said that war is too important to be left to the generals. Well, I'm starting to believe that from what we've seen lately -- the trickery, lies and dangerous gambits of the McCain campaign, and the fact that its only competition isn't blowing it fully and comfortably out of the water in the nationwide polls -- the future of this country may be too important to be left to the people.

Or, more specifically, to the half of this country that values ignorance, provincial charm, impressive deception, unwavering party allegiance and mindless ideology above not simply a government based on thoughtful analysis but above the very lives of the people who live under it.

If you've seen enough courtroom dramas, you know that often when a lawyer makes a questionable argument or takes a dubious stand on behalf of his client, the judge will sometimes decide that it goes too far in the direction of subverting the very concept our legal system stands for: justice. He or she will essentially say that the argument is so prejudicial -- so out-of-bounds -- that the jury shouldn't even be allowed to hear it. And so it's thrown out.

It happens in court all the time.

Why can't it be allowed to happen on a national scale -- in the current presidential election?

Here's my point: Sarah Palin isn't simply unqualified to be vice president -- or God forbid, president -- she's thoroughly unqualified. If installed in office, the McCain ticket will have put this country in imminent danger. What's worse, the reason Palin was selected for the campaign actually has nothing to do with her qualifications or lack thereof to begin with; it was a purely political choice -- a shifty little trick designed to nab the narrative and nail down the conservative base which, quite frankly, doesn't typically employ any semblance of logic or reason in voting for a candidate anyway. On the contrary, there are those who support Palin specifically because they believe she will be a harbinger of the End Times and help hasten the Rapture. McCain counted on this when he chose her; he didn't bother to vet her properly and didn't care one bit that she might not be prepared to take on the responsibilities of being a vice president. (If you need proof, look at the way he cynically attempts to hide her from anyone who might put her in a position where she'd make it clear that she has no idea what she's talking about and has no place being where she is right now.)

So why can't someone step in and declare that this candidacy isn't fit to be handed to the voters?

I realize that, as usual, this will get me slapped with the ubiquitous "elitist" tag, but by now the reality of Sarah Palin is beyond speculation or opinion; it's pretty much proven fact to anyone with a brain.

McCain is currently and consistently lying to win this election and if he succeeds, the nation as a whole will pay the price because his vice president doesn't meet even the paltriest of standards for assuming the office.

Who can step in and halt this farce?

I'm not quite sure, but I'd be inclined to offer this suggestion -- which I admit doesn't come from a lawyer, so take it for what it's worth: the Supreme Court made a decision regarding the 2000 election that changed all of our lives irrevocably; maybe it's time someone availed him or herself of our hallowed legal system and truly did try to have this put to a judge.

Who'll be the first to file an emergency injunction against the McCain campaign?

Anyone?

Comments

[zedthewizard]

i guess if you weren't crying so much you could've filed the injunction. democrats whine instead of winning and then look for a referee. f'n babies.

by the way, i'm so liberal, i'm not even a democrat. i'm an independent. a social libertine with fiscal conservatism and a well balance foreign policy bent.

[JiminNC]

A regular genius.

[missjabez]

Don't feel bad, Chez. Given the rampant idiocy that characterizes half of the American population, I've decided that maybe universal suffrage is not such a good idea.

[respectingothers]

I have been thinking the same exact thing all day!!! It's not Palins fault she's a victim here. It's Mccain himself who's scarier than scary

[Scarabus]

The "judge/s" who/which should apply the "too far, too much, too outrageous, too dishonest, too baseless crap-detector test" is/are the 4th estate. But they've either been intimidated or have sold out. Otherwise there would be no need for this post, right? Journalists have failed us, but the alternatives are almost too scary to contemplate. Both the movie Citizen Kane and the accompanying battle between Welles and Hearst remain way too relevant.

[vegas9999]

Bet you have a PHD or your a lawyer. Your party is full of both.

[missjabez]

And having educated people in your political party is a crime?

[laurinek]

What does that mean? Your party is full of morons?

[Eoin45]

That would be "you're" a lawyer, Dumbo. And yes, we'd like to have a party of smart people. The last 8 years have shown what happens when you elect dumb ones. I bet you'd be the first one to call a lawyer if you were agrieved about something.

[Rockerbabe]

If you check the Constitution of the United States, Governor Palin has the minimal qualifications to b run for VP. It is up to the voters to decide if she is really qualifed given the issues of the day. I say she is not and apparently the blogger of the piece also thinks she is wanting. Americans can see the immaturity and hopefully will not be so "careless" with their voting power. We survived Dubya, I'm not so sure about Palin.

[laurinek]

I so agree-it is shocking that no prominent person ANYWHERE has been willing to take this stand. Dem's won't even say it. McCain is treating this like a giant game with no regard for the country. Although I saw David Axelrod this morning, when asked what he thought of her he answered brilliantly that McCain made the decision to choose her, let the American people decide what to make of that. The dangerous part is that the half of the country that elected W love her.

[BarackMarley]

at least the media won't go into a recession if she wins plenty of scandals to keep us occupied

http://newsone.com/elections/article/top-5-palin-scandals

[fikafer]

ELITIST!!!

brilliantly stated though