Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio ?

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio,
Our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you.
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson.
Jolting Joe has left and gone away,
Hey hey hey.

Simon and Garfunkel provided the song "Mrs. Robinson" for the 1967 movie The Graduate. Both the movie and the song were immediate hits then and remain popular today. Supposedly Joe DiMaggio was somewhat displeased by his name being included in the lyrics ;but after it was explained that it was not an insult but a compliment, he was satisfied. I think of the song's lyrics today because as I view our current cast of presidential hopefuls, elected congress men and women, senators and various Obama staffers and appointees I too wonder where have all the Joe DiMaggio's gone?

When one considers that the office of President was once held by men like Franklin D. Roosevelt for four terms as he kept this county together during World War II, it is unbelievable to realize that Gov. Rick Perry is a serious candidate. Harry Truman followed Roosevelt and then came Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the supreme allied commander of WWII, and now we have the likes of Newt the grump & Mitt the flip flopper. John Kennedy may have had his personal flaws but at least he surrounded himself with the best and the brightest this country had to offer. Barrack Obama having promised  and offered so much hope has surrounded himself with far too many that caused our current problems or have done little to solve the problems. What has Atty. General Eric Holder done since becoming Atty. General? Why do we have the likes of Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury? One of the best and the brightest in the Obama camp was Elizabeth Warren and she was given walking papers at the behest of Geithner.

We have a year to go and our national government is in a state of grid lock. We are still wasting lives and money in the Bush/Cheney/ Rumsfeld mid-east wars. The GOP is protecting their elite job creators who have created jobs overseas at the expense of American workers. Main Street has been ignored because Wall Street and the Big Banks were too big to fail. Unemployment is still too high, foreclosures continue and our national debt is on auto pilot. With so many Republicans having pledged allegiance to Grover Norquist and having turned their backs on doing what is good for the country it is going to be a difficult 2012.  

  

It seems at this time that Joltin' Joe has truly left and gone away. Joe DiMaggio was described by many as a man of grace, pride, dignity and having class. A classy person would probably be discreet, honest and reliable. We would also expect a classy person to be sincere, respectful and trustworthy. No doubt President Obama is a person of class as he displays many of these qualities. Unfortunately for many Republicans it is difficult for them to accept a multi-racial, intelligent Democrat as President even if he displays these qualities. Their stated goal since Obama took office is to see that Obama is a one term president regardless of the collateral damage done to this country and its citizens.

If you happen to watch any of the remaining Republican debates think of Joe DiMaggio as you watch and listen to these Republican hopefuls. Like Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy who were all men of grace, pride, dignity and class try to fit the GOP candidates into this mold. Collectively they are a losing team and individually most lack the qualities one would hope to see in a president. It is remarkable that Michele Bachman sits on the Congressional Intelligence Committee. Yes, you read that correctly. She is a member of the Intelligence Committee. The long serving Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, doesn't know the voting age is eighteen.

If Obama wasn't seeking a second term I don't know who the Democrats would put forth. It seems that rather than raising the  qualifications bar for presidential candidates we have lowered it. We deserve better, we should expect better and we most definitely are in need of better candidates.