Sarah Palin hangover

I'm sad. The world has shifted for me. The reality is there's a group of Americans that don't share my world view; they don't mind twisting or ignoring the truth as long as it supports their cause, they like asserting American primacy through physical or military strength, they believe their religious beliefs should be the law of the land, and they believe in keeping their stuff to themselves.
Most disturbingly, I always thought obvious hypocrisy and deception would be noticed by even the most casual observer. When politics are this partisan, it isn't. Sarah Palin supports abstinence only education, while her personal experience proves it doesn't work. Sarah Palin uses the word choice to describe her family's family planning, but doesn't want other people to have a choice. Sarah Palin claims she refused the "Bridge to Nowhere" but not only had she previously supported it, she kept the money for other projects. Sarah Palin says she stood up to the 'old boy network' to root out corruption, but she was on the board of indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens' 527 and hired a lobbyist from Jack Abramoff's firm to get earmarks for Wasilla while Mayor.
I didn't like the attitude of Sarah Palin's speech. I thought it was mean-spirited, sarcastic, and mocking. Her tone doesn't add value to the political discourse.
The Republican convention crowd loved it; they were jumping out of their skin with euphoria.

John McCain has the same attitude, except now he can keep it toned down.

The Republicans care most about keeping power. They don't put Country First. This convention is a big show for the media and the regular folk of the country put on by the Republican power base. They stir the people into a frenzy so they can be manipulated and molded. That's my perspective. Republican folks think I'm the one that's been entranced.

I have a strange idea that the Palin crowd is not as it appears. I think Todd Palin has more power/control than is let on (based on the tape that came out of Frank Bailey talking to Monegan - he says "Todd and Sarah have concerns").

I don't know what will become of America. There are serious issues that have to be discussed - we need to be clear and honest about what it takes for America to live up to what we believe it to be. That means talking and learning about each other's perspective. It means respecting the diversity and choices that everyone makes. It means having empathy for other people's plight even when it seems strange and foreign. We have to come to some general agreement about what role government plays in our lives.
We can't have those discussions when the primary agenda of people involved in the discussion is staying in power.