Drill, Baby, Drill?

Americans are divided. I feel it: They frustrate me. It's hard for me to understand where they are coming from, and what they are thinking. It's tempting to dichotomize.

Us/Them
Republicans/Democrats
Conservatives/Liberals

Items like the video below are little taps on the mallet, incrementally widening the difference between them and me, or us. I never voted for Bush, but I recall his promises: a political moderate who would work with both sides to reach consensus. He was anti-big government.

I am dumbfounded that people who I know well--people who voted for Bush and then eventually arrived at the conclusion that he is morally incompetent and has led the U.S. profoundly astray--are onboard with the McCain/Palin ticket.

This is hard for me to be okay with. Particularly because it makes me wonder:

If a person realizes that their past votes have resulted in terrible elected officials and/or bad policy, wouldn't that give any reasonable person pause to more carefully consider their choices in the future?

But then you see clips like this:



and it reminds you how many people in this country do not think for themselves. Rather, they adopt the agendas and mantras of their affiliations, and regurgitate the prescribed message. Even when they are obviously idiotic ones, like:

Drill, Baby, Drill!

Sure, the audience was probably comprised of oil industry professionals. But if that's who the Republicans are going to pack in their house, should we really let them keep the keys to ours?