As I watched the presidential debates, the differences and striking similarities between the candidates were interesting and entertaining, while being somewhat infuriating. There were also interesting similarities between the 2004 and 2008 debates in both content discussed, political stances, as well as the commentators and spin that immediately followed the debates.

Financial Bailout – While both candidates were asked in numerous ways, how he would directly address the financial bailout, neither candidate was willing to take a strong stand on the bailout (our tax dollars! for private institutions!) by addressing the root causes of the ‘new’ accounting schemes that were legitimized under the Reagan administration.

As I watched the debates, while I was entertained and amused, I have been somewhat horrified at the direction that the United States is heading toward for many reasons.The economy is headed off a pier into a hurricane of ill ease and danger, partially because of the massive spending associated with the war (or rather, many wars) and the defense issues that both candidates seem to want to continue, the educational system in the States and how it is heading dangerously toward privatization, the current state of American healthcare and how neither candidate is addressing it as the security issue that it is. (It does affect us all. We are the only country in the world that has a significant proportion of the population contributing toward Medicare, yet it currently does not cover the whole population, at the same time that airborne viruses and bacteria are getting stronger. As a possible solution, we could shift the goals and direction of Homeland Security, which was created quite quickly, so there’s no excuse for not being able to rapidly set up an efficient agency to protect the People.)

As I watched the first debates I was overwhelmed by the desire for transparency in our government, combined with the realization that People can accomplish good things if they are empowered. Two new projects will be launched: Lie Detectors for Lawmakers, and Stop It and Flow. Both different and launching as the new year approaches.  I need to start driving again as I am on the screening tour with Considering Democracy.  More soon.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the story the split personality of Dr. Jekyll, the crazed mad man, who is also the humble, normal seeming Mr. Hyde. The U.S. political system has taken on the form of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, under the guidance of neoconservatives pushing key Republicans leaders who are crafting policy, because they tell the American public one thing, while doing entirely something else. For example, they tell us that they are protecting us, while jobs are disappearing and people are loosing their homes. They tell us that the U.S. economy is strong, while using public tax dollars to bail out private banks. They say that border security is a top priority, while the border appears to be as guarded as water moving through a sieve.

The U.S. political system allows corporate based funds into the political campaign system. This cultivates someone like McCain, whose actions could be described as someone like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While he personally sponsored the McCain – Feingold 2002 Campaign Reform Act, intended to clean up special interests money in politics, his actions are simultaneously doing the opposite. The Mr. Hyde side sponsored the Campaign Reform Act. Yet, the same gentleman – McCain also heads the Republican Institute, an entity created under the Reagan administration, financed both by American tax dollars and private funds. Amazingly, the Republican Institute has board members and others that are also both McCain fundraisers and are simultaneously lobbyists for other countries and other special interests. This is the rather convoluted scheme is something that Dr. Jekyll would create. Thus, the publicly and corporately funded nonprofit organization has received funds from AT&T at the same time that telecommunication bills were being debated in Congress (McCain is a Congressman). Because of this, as a leader in Congress, he decided not to take a stand on some issues. Is McCain the “maverick” politician who will make policy for the benefit of the American public, or for the highest bidder? These combined actions, especially by someone calling himself a straight-shooter, seem more like errant bullets ricocheting in a cement labyrinth.

The Republican party, in Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde fashion is simultaneously trying to put forth the civil, ‘good for America’ appearance, while hiding the dangerous fault lines of their actions, all in the name of appearance. Appearance, more than substance occupies their press releases and information sent to the public.

Someone spent hours changing Sarah Palin’s description in Wikipedia in 24 hours before her vice presidential candidacy was announced. It will be interesting to see how this woman embroiled in controversy is presented to the American people by the U.S. media. On one hand, they might say that the unselfishly sold the corporately funded jet and is a true worker for the American public. On the other hand, her actions are such that she is doing exactly what corporate oil would like for her to do, as evidenced by the chanting of “Drill, baby, drill!” at the 2008 Republican Convention. She backs the policy that corporate oil likes. No need to lobby.

In these difficult times, know that there are many other countries that have representative democracies that have very different policy. They may prove to have more stable and strong economies, while their policy protects the lives of its citizens on a practical, everyday basis. There are many countries that prioritize the funding of education and healthcare. As a country, the U.S. allocates its wealth very differently and has very different domestic policy than the other developed, first world democracies. Recall what the American revolution was about. Didn’t it have something to do with taxes and representation? How does the U.S. Constitution begin? I think it’s something like, “We, the …..”