U.S. may have low expectations

This blog entry -- the first for Political Potpourri -- is being written less than 24 hours after Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin battled it out in the only vice presidential debate this campaign season.

Well, I'm not quite sure it was a battle, but that's for you to judge.

I watched at least half of the debate on CNN last night, but then I lost interest. I truly did try to get into it, but found myself just watching the clock, wondering when the back and forth would end.

And that's from someone who actually enjoys following politics and currrent events.

Today, I've heard reaction from other news outlets and my colleagues about the debate. Everyone seems to be thinking the same thing -- Palin didn't fail miserably and both candidates did better than expected. People, however, add that it was hard to identify a winner, or a stronger vice presidential candidate.

That is a problem.

It is a problem when our country has low expectations for people who are positioned to assume the most important roles in our society. It is a problem when one of those two people will be chosen to help lead the country, particularly during a time of war and economic uncertainty.

And it scares me that people might have the same low expectations for the presidential candidates as well.

It seems to me that many have the "anyone is better than Bush" attitude. I get it. People don't like the outgoing president. But the United States needs a strong, capable leader to take his place, and I'm not sure believing that anyone is better than Bush will give us that.

So, what do you think? Being that this is my first blog entry, I want to take a moment to encourage readers to respond and to share their thoughts! I look forward to reading them.

Oh, and while you are waiting for a new blog entry, feel free to check out another Record-Journal blog, Convention Coverage 2008. It was written specifically for the Democratic and Republican national conventions, but if you crave a daily dose of politics, you can see pictures taken at the conventions and entries submitted by your local elected officials.