Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A Rant About Politics and the GOP
First things first: The (Hide And) Seeker won big at the Campus Movie Fest and is available for viewing online. Details here.
And now onto the real purpose of the post - as promised, I've been thinking a lot about the presidential race, and here are my thoughts on the matter. Or rather, it's a rant. Because, as most people know by now, I'm an Obama fan. If I recall correctly, a few months ago I predicted that he would win by a landslide because people were so hungry for change.
Now, I know better. Obama isn't going to win by a landslide. I still think he's going to win, but it's going to be close. Because the GOP, for better or worse, have run a campaign that by all intents and purposes deserves to be laughed at and ridiculed and shown to be the farce that it is, but that appeals to their base group of supporters. The choice of Sarah Palin as the VP nominee, in particular, has revitalized the campaign.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think Obama is a perfect candidate. I wish he had a few more years of experience. I wish his campaign finances were handled differently (though this is more of a systemic problem, since let's be honest, the USA is more of a plutocracy than a democracy anyway). But most of all, I wish he had bigger balls. Instead he seems to be trying to run the cleaner campaign, and play nice. I used to think this was a good idea. But let's face it - most people consider "niceness" to be one of the reasons that Kerry lost in 2004. And I'm sorry, but when you're acting as hypocritical and foolish as the McCain campaign, you deserved to be called on it, and called on it hard. Not just given a slap on the hand. Unfortunately, the hard right-wingers that previously were going to stay home and on election day now have found reasons to vote McCain. And no offense to any McCain supporters, but if you guys win, I believe it will be the single worst decision of the past few decades, and one that will haunt this country for years to come.
A few random ramblings:
1) Why is the guy who was raised by a single-mother and worked his way up the chain called an "elitist", while the guy with nine houses is seen as more of an average American?
2) Once again, why is personality and charisma clouding the issues? Obama clearly trumps McCain on the issues (and personality/charisma as well, for that matter), and only your hardcore neo-conservatives will deny that. But throw in a moose-hunting hockey mom from Alaska, and suddenly everyone's back on their side. When did "elitist" become a bad word (especially when by that definition McCain is the bigger elitist)? I don't want a President who is like me. I would not make a good President. People voted for President Bush because they wanted to have a beer with him. If that's all it takes, then by all means vote for Palin. She's a hockey mom! She likes guns! She has five kids! If those are your main criteria, then there are plenty of people out there who would qualify for President. But nope, can't vote for that guy who went to Harvard and studied constitutional law. He isn't "patriotic" and "American" enough. When did being smart, articulate, and white-collar become un-American? Not to suggest blue-collar workers and "rednecks" aren't smart or articulate, but you get my point. I wasn't aware hunting moose was a valuable skill to have when trying to run a country.
3) Even though I think he's one of the nicer high-profile religious right-wingers out there, when it comes to issues and politics, James Dobson makes me sick. Before Palin, he wasn't going to vote McCain. Now he's fully behind her, and is dragging the religious right with him. Despite being big on family values, he won't call her out on having an unwed daughter that got pregnant. Not to mention McCain's multiple wives. How much do you want to bet that if Obama had a teenage daughter that got pregnant, the religious right would be throwing a fit about him not promoting strong values? But because Palin is militantly pro-life and has ties to dominionist groups, it's okay for her.
4) If Obama doesn't win, there will be more racial tension in this country than ever before. Just think about it. Obama gradually had to win over the African-American base from Hillary by showing he could actually win. Now 80-90% of black voters are behind him. What happens when an articulate, educated, charismatic, half-Caucasian black man runs for President and loses? Heck, he's a black man that even managed to get himself called an "elitist"! Like it or not, it's going to be viewed as a race thing by many African-Americans. If the "whitest" black man out there can't win, who can?
5) Will somebody please tell me why forcing a 17 year-old pregnant teenager to get married is viewed as the smart and morally correct thing to do? Statistics show the vast majority of young couples that get "shotgun marriages" aren't happy and quickly divorce. Not to mention that Levi (Bristol's husband-to-be) had clearly posted on his MySpace page, "I don't want children." I'm not saying sex out of a wedlock is a good thing, but should we really punish two teenagers and force them into a situation that they'll most likely regret later down the road, just because they couldn't keep their pants on? Give the baby up for adoption (or keep it, if that's what Bristol really wants), but don't force them to get married. Again, I think the only reason they're doing it to begin with is to help mommy's campaign appeal to the religious right.
6) I don't want my Vice President to be someone who's afraid to take interviews with the press. The fact that Palin has kept such a thick wall between herself and the media just further demonstrates that when push comes to shove, she's not qualified, and John McCain knows it. Why stay away from a free press and try to limit their coverage of you unless you know that you can't stand up to thorough investigation?
7) Why is being a POW even relevant to whether or not someone is qualified to be president, or how "American" they are? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for McCain and his service to this country. But let's think about this for a second. His grandfather fought in a war. His father fought in a war. He fought in a war. He wants the new generation to keep fighting a war in Iraq. Isn't it possible that McCain might be a bit too focused on the military?
I don't really want to write a novel. But to summarize:
McCain: experienced, flip-flopping, old-fashioned, Bush-agreeing, hypocritical, militaristic, rich, white, elitist.
Palin: inexperienced, redneck, dominionist, gun-toting, ignorant, book-banning, hockey mom.
Biden: experienced, grassroots, family-loving, foreign policy expert. Admittedly, I don't know as much about him as I should.
Obama: somewhat experienced, hard-working, charismatic, black, secular (in the good way), educated, young and fresh, change-inspiring, leader whose views on the issues seems to take the majority of Americans to heart.
Am I generalizing? Yes. But not as much as some might think.
Some interesting links:
Aaron Sorkin, writer of The West Wing, wrote a mock exchange between Barack Obama and the fictional president Jed Bartlet. It can be found here.
Don't think Palin and McCain are hypocritical elitists who capitalize on institutionalized racism and white privilege? Check out this short essay by Tim Wise, a white anti-racist activist.
Good citizens of America, please stop looking at things from a purely religious or individualistic perspective. Our country is in a really dark place right now. It's time we looked past our differences and voted for the person who won't just represent our own personal beliefs, but will focus on what's best for everyone and will bring the change necessary for our country to get through it. Can I guarantee Obama is that person? No. But I think it should fairly obvious that he has a better chance of being that guy than McCain.
And now onto the real purpose of the post - as promised, I've been thinking a lot about the presidential race, and here are my thoughts on the matter. Or rather, it's a rant. Because, as most people know by now, I'm an Obama fan. If I recall correctly, a few months ago I predicted that he would win by a landslide because people were so hungry for change.
Now, I know better. Obama isn't going to win by a landslide. I still think he's going to win, but it's going to be close. Because the GOP, for better or worse, have run a campaign that by all intents and purposes deserves to be laughed at and ridiculed and shown to be the farce that it is, but that appeals to their base group of supporters. The choice of Sarah Palin as the VP nominee, in particular, has revitalized the campaign.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think Obama is a perfect candidate. I wish he had a few more years of experience. I wish his campaign finances were handled differently (though this is more of a systemic problem, since let's be honest, the USA is more of a plutocracy than a democracy anyway). But most of all, I wish he had bigger balls. Instead he seems to be trying to run the cleaner campaign, and play nice. I used to think this was a good idea. But let's face it - most people consider "niceness" to be one of the reasons that Kerry lost in 2004. And I'm sorry, but when you're acting as hypocritical and foolish as the McCain campaign, you deserved to be called on it, and called on it hard. Not just given a slap on the hand. Unfortunately, the hard right-wingers that previously were going to stay home and on election day now have found reasons to vote McCain. And no offense to any McCain supporters, but if you guys win, I believe it will be the single worst decision of the past few decades, and one that will haunt this country for years to come.
A few random ramblings:
1) Why is the guy who was raised by a single-mother and worked his way up the chain called an "elitist", while the guy with nine houses is seen as more of an average American?
2) Once again, why is personality and charisma clouding the issues? Obama clearly trumps McCain on the issues (and personality/charisma as well, for that matter), and only your hardcore neo-conservatives will deny that. But throw in a moose-hunting hockey mom from Alaska, and suddenly everyone's back on their side. When did "elitist" become a bad word (especially when by that definition McCain is the bigger elitist)? I don't want a President who is like me. I would not make a good President. People voted for President Bush because they wanted to have a beer with him. If that's all it takes, then by all means vote for Palin. She's a hockey mom! She likes guns! She has five kids! If those are your main criteria, then there are plenty of people out there who would qualify for President. But nope, can't vote for that guy who went to Harvard and studied constitutional law. He isn't "patriotic" and "American" enough. When did being smart, articulate, and white-collar become un-American? Not to suggest blue-collar workers and "rednecks" aren't smart or articulate, but you get my point. I wasn't aware hunting moose was a valuable skill to have when trying to run a country.
3) Even though I think he's one of the nicer high-profile religious right-wingers out there, when it comes to issues and politics, James Dobson makes me sick. Before Palin, he wasn't going to vote McCain. Now he's fully behind her, and is dragging the religious right with him. Despite being big on family values, he won't call her out on having an unwed daughter that got pregnant. Not to mention McCain's multiple wives. How much do you want to bet that if Obama had a teenage daughter that got pregnant, the religious right would be throwing a fit about him not promoting strong values? But because Palin is militantly pro-life and has ties to dominionist groups, it's okay for her.
4) If Obama doesn't win, there will be more racial tension in this country than ever before. Just think about it. Obama gradually had to win over the African-American base from Hillary by showing he could actually win. Now 80-90% of black voters are behind him. What happens when an articulate, educated, charismatic, half-Caucasian black man runs for President and loses? Heck, he's a black man that even managed to get himself called an "elitist"! Like it or not, it's going to be viewed as a race thing by many African-Americans. If the "whitest" black man out there can't win, who can?
5) Will somebody please tell me why forcing a 17 year-old pregnant teenager to get married is viewed as the smart and morally correct thing to do? Statistics show the vast majority of young couples that get "shotgun marriages" aren't happy and quickly divorce. Not to mention that Levi (Bristol's husband-to-be) had clearly posted on his MySpace page, "I don't want children." I'm not saying sex out of a wedlock is a good thing, but should we really punish two teenagers and force them into a situation that they'll most likely regret later down the road, just because they couldn't keep their pants on? Give the baby up for adoption (or keep it, if that's what Bristol really wants), but don't force them to get married. Again, I think the only reason they're doing it to begin with is to help mommy's campaign appeal to the religious right.
6) I don't want my Vice President to be someone who's afraid to take interviews with the press. The fact that Palin has kept such a thick wall between herself and the media just further demonstrates that when push comes to shove, she's not qualified, and John McCain knows it. Why stay away from a free press and try to limit their coverage of you unless you know that you can't stand up to thorough investigation?
7) Why is being a POW even relevant to whether or not someone is qualified to be president, or how "American" they are? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for McCain and his service to this country. But let's think about this for a second. His grandfather fought in a war. His father fought in a war. He fought in a war. He wants the new generation to keep fighting a war in Iraq. Isn't it possible that McCain might be a bit too focused on the military?
I don't really want to write a novel. But to summarize:
McCain: experienced, flip-flopping, old-fashioned, Bush-agreeing, hypocritical, militaristic, rich, white, elitist.
Palin: inexperienced, redneck, dominionist, gun-toting, ignorant, book-banning, hockey mom.
Biden: experienced, grassroots, family-loving, foreign policy expert. Admittedly, I don't know as much about him as I should.
Obama: somewhat experienced, hard-working, charismatic, black, secular (in the good way), educated, young and fresh, change-inspiring, leader whose views on the issues seems to take the majority of Americans to heart.
Am I generalizing? Yes. But not as much as some might think.
Some interesting links:
Aaron Sorkin, writer of The West Wing, wrote a mock exchange between Barack Obama and the fictional president Jed Bartlet. It can be found here.
Don't think Palin and McCain are hypocritical elitists who capitalize on institutionalized racism and white privilege? Check out this short essay by Tim Wise, a white anti-racist activist.
Good citizens of America, please stop looking at things from a purely religious or individualistic perspective. Our country is in a really dark place right now. It's time we looked past our differences and voted for the person who won't just represent our own personal beliefs, but will focus on what's best for everyone and will bring the change necessary for our country to get through it. Can I guarantee Obama is that person? No. But I think it should fairly obvious that he has a better chance of being that guy than McCain.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 9/23/2008 01:22:00 PM 
