Except In America

I ragged on President Obama after the debate and rightfully so.
He turned in a poor performance. A mighty leader has to be able to rise to the occasion, to meet every challenge, to instill confidence in those for whom he is responsible.
Of course he IS running a country. And he has been forced to deal with enormous crisis after enormous crisis. And he has been forced to deal with defiant, partisan, racist republicans who have consistently put their own partisan interests AHEAD OF THE SAFETY AND ECONOMIC SURVIVAL OF THIS COUNTRY.
Compared to that a debate might seem trivial.
Except in America.
The Prez opened the door to slime. I have watched as political journalists pointed out over and over that Romney lied in the debate, that he misrepresented his position, he reversed positions, he gave voters nothing of substance to go on. I am not just talking MSNBC. I'm talking CNN and revered life long journalists.
Romney has been schooled on the pettiness of Americans. His advisers sat him down and told him he can say anything he wants to say and then walk away from it. Even in a day and age when every word is recorded and can be played back to illustrate lies.
Because the American public is stupid and lazy. They want the sizzle, not the steak.
Romney gave them the sizzle at the debate.
I hate polls because, like Romney, they flip and they flop. We are inundated with poll information sliced and diced in every way and it becomes meaningless.
But the general trend after the debate shows the race to be about even.
This causes me to suffer through repeated bouts of projectile vomiting. You think Linda Blair was bad; I have had to repaint the walls in my house three times since the debate.
Tonight we got Joe versus Paul. Mr. Sincerity versus The Lying Machine.
I am nervous. Biden is an emotional guy. Ryan is a button pusher. If Biden gets off track, if he loses his cool, Ryan will shred him.
Biden has a little of Bill Clinton in him. He has the ability to connect with the little man, maybe more so because Clinton is an intellectual.
Ryan is as phony as they come but real enough for petty republicans.
Biden knows he has to kick ass tonight and I am sure they are preparing appropriately.
Ryan is preparing too, and given the fact that Romney came up with a strategy that worked I gotta believe Ryan has something up his sleeve.
I give the republicans credit for coming up with strategies. They are bold in their lies, bold in their false promises to desperate Americans and audacious in their plan to turn away from suffering Americans if, God forbid, elected.
After the assassination of JFK and a brief upheaval in the sixties, this country has been sliding backwards into the arms of corporate America, Wall Street and immoral politicians.
Sliding backwards into the arms of those who will squeeze until the spine is snapped.
I'm not sure one man can stop it. Not sure one man can change the culture of a country that has grown to revere corruption, greed, drama, pettiness, stupidity, laziness and racism. President Obama stands alone against that tide.
Tonight I hope Vice President Joe Biden digs in his heels and exposes Paul Ryan for the fool that he is. Gets the Democrats back on track.
But I am not sure Biden can withstand the American public's voracious need for drama and pettiness and Ryan's ability to deliver it.