Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber Book Review

No one expects a politician to be perfect. But we do expect that they will have the emotional and intellectual intelligence to govern as the voters need them to. Unfortunately, those expectations are not always met.

Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber, by Andy Borowitz, was published last month. Examining American politics and politicians over the last five decades, Borowitz exposes how some politicians are not what they seem to be. He starts the book with Ronald Reagan‘s 1966 Gubenationatorial election in California and ends with you know who. As the decades pass, it becomes clear that the lights are on, but no one is home.

Calling out well-known political figures such as Bill Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Dan Quayle, he reveals how their egos, stupidity, and mistakes have caused Americans to see politicians in a not-so-positive light.

In pointing out the imperfections of the subjects, Borowitz provides the reader with the release we all need. While making us laugh and cry, he is sending the message that we don’t have to take it lying down. We can use our voices and our votes to enact the change that we want and need to see.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber is available wherever books are sold.

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Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House . . . Yet Book Review

Over the last half a century or so, there has been a shift in regard to women and politics. Many nations across the world have had at least one female in the highest office in the land. Except for one….the United States.

Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House…Yet, by Ali Vitali was published last month. Dissecting the events of the 2020 Presidential election, she examines how it was both history-making and business as usual. Though there were a good amount of female candidates (Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, etc), Joe Biden still ultimately won the Democratic nomination.

She also deconstructs previous elections (the 2008 and 2016 Presidential elections to be specific) and how both Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton were viewed by the press and the voters. As usual, the questions of “likability” were applied unequally. The qualities that were questionable or just plain wrong in terms of the female candidates were brushed off as completely fine for their male counterparts.

Throughout the book, Vitali asks two important questions:

1. When will we finally be able to say “Madame President” in this country?
2. When will women and men truly be equal, both legally and socially in the US?

This book is an important and vital read. It is a reminder of the fact that the glass ceiling is still intact and how far women still have to go. Given our present political circumstances (i.e. Roe V. Wade being overturned in June), we need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask why only a man can be President.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Electable: Why America Has Not Put a Woman in the White House…Yet is available for purchase in bookstores.

Sarah Palin: The One Woman Superspreader

If we have learned one thing about Covid-19 since March of 2020, it is that this virus is highly contagious. We do not have to be coughing and sneezing in someone else’s face to spread it.

Last week, former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was dining out in New York City. The idea of her choosing to eat out is nothing new. We have been slowly moving back to leaving our homes for a meal for months. The problem is that Ms. Palin not only tested positive for Covid, but decided to ignore the local guidelines that require anyone who has received a positive test to be quarantined for five days.

As expected, she has not received the vaccine and will accept the only shot if she is no longer in the land of the living. By then, it is nothing but futile.

“It’ll be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot,” Ms Palin announced at the right-wing conference AmericaFest 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona last month. “I will not do that. I won’t do it, and they better not touch my kids either.”

There is only one word to describe her: selfish. We all know how deadly this disease can be. It doesn’t take much to get someone else sick. I don’t know about anyone else, but I couldn’t look myself in the mirror I gave it to someone else. The fact that she just doesn’t give a shit pushes all of my buttons and then some.

The major problem with this pandemic is not the medical aspect and its side effects. It’s that if we all cared, it would be a thing of the past. But there are far too many who don’t care and don’t realize that it is not about them when they get vaccinated. It is about everyone around them. But I guess there are some people who are too selfish to understand that.

Joe Biden’s VP Pick & the Political Mistake That Was Sarah Palin

When it comes a Presidential election, the choice of Vice President can make or break one’s campaign.

Back in 2008, the late Senator John McCain chose former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate for that year’s Presidential election. While we may never know if it was that decision that cost him the Presidency, we do know that this woman became a political joke.

Saturday Night Live had a field day that year. Tina Fey playing Palin was comedy gold.

As this year’s Presidential election comes closer with every day, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is under pressure to choose his running mate. After promising to choose a woman, there has been speculation about who his VP will be.

I would love to say that race does not play a role in his choice. The choice should be based on experience, who is the best person for the job, and professional chemistry. But race, unfortunately, does play a role.

For me, as a voter, I would not be surprised if he chose Kamala Harris or Stacey Abrams. If he wants to be President as badly as he says he does, he needs to prove that his administration and policies will be inclusive and respectful.

The last thing he or the Democratic party needs is a reboot of the political mistake that was Sarah Palin.

Flashback Friday-Women In Power-The Contender (2000) & Commander In Chief (2005-2006)

I have a dream. I have a dream that one day, we will be able to refer to the President Of The United States as Madam President instead of Mr. President.

We’re getting there. Between Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, we came close to the title of Madam President a few years ago.  While we have yet to see a woman in the oval office, Hollywood has already put her there.

In 2000’s The Contender, Laine Hanson has been nominated to become Vice President Of The United States. During her confirmation hearing, lurid details about her private life are brought to the surface. Will she fight back or will she refuse to answer the allegations?

I fully believe that every woman should see this movie at least once in their lives. With all of the advances that American women have had in the past few decades, we still have a long way to go. While this movie is an entertaining drama, the message is that women must continue to fight for our rights and for equality.

Commander In Chief (2004-2005) starred Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen, the first female President Of The United States. Nathaniel Templeton (Donald Sutherland) is determined to get her out of the oval office. While Mackenzie is POTUS, she is also balancing the demands of a husband and three growing children.

This show, like many new shows, had a good start. But due to changes in show runners and the creative team, it began to slowly die a painful television death. It’s a shame that this show lasted a short time, because for a while, it was a good show with good writing, good acting and good production values. But such is life.

I recommend both.