Therapists Are There To "Get" Us, Not VPs

Sarah Palin may have covered the spread last night, but it was only because the odds makers were not sure exactly how low to set the bar. For a comparison, imagine the coverage today if Al Gore, in 2000, would have acted like Sarah Palin did on Oct. 2nd, winking at America, spouting ill-timed slams on Biden like "say it ain't so Joe," and worst of all, essentially admitting that she was not going to answer the moderator's questions.

Sarah Palin was typical last night, the real "Average Joe" of the evening, if you will. I understand that some people like that. I understand how some people think that having a typical, plain Palin in the White House is totally rad, dude. I understand how some people think that a lack of intellectual curiosity in the White House is a good thing. But dagnabbit people, this is America, and America is the most powerful nation in the world.

Being the most powerful human being in the free world is an incredible responsibility, and requires the attention of an incredibly qualified person. Running this amazing country is only simple in the acknowledgment of its complication; and gosh darnit, if I had my druthers, Americans would realize that.

Excuse me for a moment while I look "backwards" and ask my fellow Wasillian Main-Streeters what they think of typical leaders. What do you think was typical and "just like me" about George Washington? What do you think was typical and "just like me" about Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, or James Madison? (Yes, I know Franklin was not a president, but America as we know it would not exist without him nonetheless.) What do you think was typical and "just like me" about John Adams? What do you think was typical and "just like me" about Abraham Lincoln, or Teddy Roosevelt, or FDR, or John F. Kennedy? (While being the son of a poor frontiersman, Lincoln was well-read, philosophical and was a successful attorney.)

Now, for comparison, *wink* what do you think is typical and "just like me" about George W. Bush? Remember? People were passionate about W because they could sit down and drink a beer with him. He was just like them. He understood them. He could not field dress a moose, God bless his soul, but darnnit, he could choke on a pretzel with the best of them. I mean, because he is just like, "us" he led this country into arguably the worse eight years of this country's previously great existence. What is more "backwards" and regressive than that?

To all that voted for Bush, not once, but twice, for Christ's sake, are you not embarrassed about that people? Are you not willing to at least take some of the responsibility for the current situation we find ourselves in as a country? Yes, there has been a failure in leadership, but that is only because there has been a major washout in followership. Democracies and republics fail for one overriding reason. It is the failure of society to pay attention; to educate themselves on the complexities of the governance; their utter refusal to look in the mirror and take some responsibility for the failures of those whom they pick to lead.

Now, here we sit, on three hundred million straw pedestals, ready to pick the next great (or not so great) leader of the free world, and you are telling me that the major criteria of which almost half of this country is using to pick their next President is, "Well, she understands me, she gets me, she shares in my problems. She doesn't know her 'you know what' from a hole in the wall, but she can recite prepared euphemisms and doublespeak with the best of them." Are we really going to use the same criteria to pick the next president that we used to pick the last one? Are we really a country of gluttonous fools who want to continue relishing in the repercussions of the incredible weakness of our collective decisions?

I feel compelled to remind everyone that this is what we have psychiatrists and best friends for, not presidents and vice-presidents.

Am I aggravated? Yur darn toot'n I am aggravated. I don't think this country can handle another four years of ignorant leadership. Even if you tattoo it with lipstick and call it change, it's still W and Dick.

Comments

[MsCanadian]

Right on Mr. Frank. I still cannot believe that Americans voted once for Bush (2004) and allowed him to steal the election in 2000, and that many of the same people contemplate voting for McCain and Palin. For the sake of the rest of the civilized world, we hope that voters will come to their senses this year and vote Obama!

[Karl Frank, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you one4obama. I was searching for the right words myself until this morning. Sarah Palin was my inspiration. :)

[one4obama]

Great piece, Karl! I think you speak for the majority of the population in the United States. And many of us have always needed to say what you just did, but failed to come up with the proper wording.

Well done!!

[fuzzywuzzy6]

Bravo Mr. Frank.