Maybe I should just go Independant

I've not really paid much attention to the presidental hopefuls thus far, being recently distracted with the dangers of arsenic in the apple juice, dental x-rays, and UV dryers in nail salons. But sheltered as I am from politics lately, I nevertheless found my jaw on the floor the other day after reading a certain candidate's views on a particular vaccine.

It's impossible for me to really get behind any of the Republican candidates vying for election in the primaries this time around. Rick Perry is too evangelical for me; I have my own relationship with God and I like it, thanks. Don't shove your religion in my face. Besides, he's too much the sterotypical politician-in-bed-with-xyz-corporation for me to approve of his rationale for certain decisions (can we say "financial interest in the legal requirement of certain pharmaceuticals?") Mitt Romney's Mormon affiliation does no favors for him in my book. Again, the whole religion card is overplayed. Why does this race center so much around religion? It's like a face-off between mormons and evangelicals. It's entertaining to watch, much like gladiators in the Coliseum, but I don't really care to place bets or choose sides. Besides, I was under the impression that our founders created this nation to have a "separation of church and state," meaning that religion should not dictate the government nor be dictated by it. But because each of these men have religious friends in rich places, religion is bound to be a cornerstone of their canpaigns.

And then there's Michele Bachmann, who makes me ashamed to be a Republican. Holy screaming weasels, can someone please close her mouth with duct tape before she spews any more ignorant absurdities? In her most recent gaffe, she claimed on national television that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation. Lunacy at it's finest, folks. She and Jenny McCarthy (best known for her obnoxious farts on MTV and spewing false claims that a. vaccines cause autism and b. she "healed" her autistic son) must be BFF's. I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty details of how wrong Bachmann is (you can go here to read all about it) but this is not the first time she has unwittingly verbalized such nonsense. She has also claimed, among other absurdities, that the US "could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment" by doing away with minimum wage, and implored the public to "make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers," in combatting the so-called health care reform the Democrats are trying to pass. The last comment alone makes me wonder if perhaps she is not unfamiliar with these types of coven-like rituals.

I am interested to know how she thinks removing minimum wage entirely would wipe out unemployment. When pressed by good ol' George on Good Morning America, she failed to provide any sort of evidence at all to back up this claim. Hey, I'm not saying I agree or disagree (I'm no economist) but if you're going to show up with that placard on your platform, you'd better have some well-respected professional research behind it. Likewise on the vaccine issue.

I am not a fan of government-mandated health insurance either, but I don't think encouraging people to slit their wrists is the right metaphor to use in a stance against it. Maybe I'm just TOO conservative that way; I prefer not to engage in suicidal rituals. And the only covenant I feel comfortable with is the one I signed with my husband on our wedding day.

Her former chief of staff, Ron Carey, has admitted that she has quite the "impulsive nature" and "doesn’t use her staff well." He related to Anderson Cooper that it’s really difficult to prep her and help her kind of back-check before she goes out speaking;" some people may consider this the kind of comment to be expected from a frenemy, but I think the truth in his statements is obvious.

Frankly, I don't want a President with an impulsive nature who prefers to speak off-the-cuff without consulting the facts first. Just think of the horrendous ramifications of a President who angers the head of state (whose alliance the US may be desperate to obtain) at a foreign state dinner by making an impulsive remark intended as a compliment but taken as an insult in that culture? Or one who orders my husband off to war without any sort of logical justification whatsoever, just because she overheard a remark taken out of context on Jerry Springer or other such intelligent media? Government officials have advisors for a reason. If you don't personally have all the answers, you'd better surround yourself with people who do, and check in with them more than just occasionally to make sure you're not making an ass of yourself and/or compromising the entire country in some form or another.

This is looking to be a tough call for me; I'm really not thrilled with any of the specimens offered by my political party, but I'm less thrilled with the Democratic platform, so there's no chance of me defecting that direction. Maybe it's time to just declare myself Independant and leave the Coliseum for good.