I'm not buying the red meat

I have been watching the RNC this week with curiosity as well as with a sincere attempt to be fair and balanced going into November (although I do have my biases).

As much as I commend Sarah Palin on her ability to read and deliver a wonderfully-crafted speech from the teleprompter and rally her conervative base, I remain largely unimpressed and have yet to hear anything new that will restore my faith in the Republican party. While they may critique the Democrat's rhetoric, I critique the patronizing, fearmongering soundbites and old ideas that they continue to leverage...soundbites that unfortunately people like my own Republican right wing conservative parents buy into and take as fact.

Big government! High taxes for everyone! Islamic terrorism! Country first!

So what else is new? And where are the real issues like the economy, health care, education, energy independence (outside of drilling), fiscal responsibility and fiscal balance, making America competitive again in the face of globalization? Issues at home that we have largely ignored while we've spent billions and billions of taxpayer dollars protecting America outside of our walls. With all due respect to our military, I commend their courage to protect us abroad as well as continuing to execute on their charter to restore peace and democracy in areas that need it, but honestly, it's time. Time to divert some of this attention back to your own home and see what you need to fix - or your family unit might just fall apart. Isn't this about Country first? Last I checked, it was.

Does America have selective amnesia from the last 8 years? I find it funny that after Day 2 at the RNC with all of us watching the sitting president orating via satellite, there has been no mention again of the Bush administration. Does the GOP think we are that stupid?

So, again tonight, I will watch with curiosity.

Oh, and by the way, I am not putting my America hat back on...I never took it off.