Stevie Joe and the VP Debate

The finer folks of the Junebug Holler community came over to the Parker estate last night to watch the Vice Presidential debate.  Like the rest of the nation, there was more interest in this event than in the Presidential debate.  Junior, for his part, came to watch because he thinks Sarah Palin is kind of hot.  He sat over on the davenport with a pillow on his lap. 

In any case, our interest did not remain piqued for long.  Even the resident John Birch Society members of the assembled citizenry had to wince just a little at every "maverick" reference.  Add in a few "darn rights" and "heckuvas" then top it off with a "everyday American people Joe Six Pack hockey moms," and by the time we heard "I may not answer the questions that either moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people" we were ready to switch the satellite on over to the Cubs-Dodgers game.  That proved to be even more depressing, but that is another subject for another time.

What irked me about the whole thing was not Biden's goofy grin or Palin's struggle to avoid electoral suicide  but the whole irrelevance of it all.  It's a game, a distraction.  Arguing whether the lipstick belongs on a pig or a pitbull has become the national equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic.  

This debate did not have record ratings because Americans were hungry for information on which to base their vote.  Folks tuned in because the eighth season of American Idol doesn't begin until January.  While the country analyzed Sarah Palin's french braids, Congress passed a $700 billion Wall Street Bailout.  

Now, do you think the average voter knows more about the bailout bill or how many times Sarah Barracuda winked during the debate?

Getting the goods for your reading enjoyment,

Stevie Joe Parker