Aug 29 2008
OK, so maybe I need to stop being so negative about this election. . .
Yes, I really don’t like Obama. I know, you get it. Maybe I would feel different if I watched his acceptance speech but I got turned off on him very early when I watched many speeches of his at the start and thought they were a lot of very prettily said nothing. I will give it a YouTube later in the week and try to give it a fair chance. The acceptance speech aside, which I have not watched, I have found him to be increasingly more arrogant and the more arrogant he seems to get, the less he says in his speeches in terms of what he is actually planning to do. Like he feels he is so awesome he doesn’t need experience or plans or to woo voters.
He also is startlingly oblivious in terms of wooing anyone other than his fan base (which seems like a more appropriate term than supporters in his case) and the sort of rock star following he cultivates seems built on hysteria and media frenzy worries me that when we actually look close, there is nothing there. But he is so convinced that his fan base will vote for him, he does nothing to try to convince those of us that don’t like him. I also find him sexist and a little racist but, what politician isn’t, right? I also think he is inexperienced but I could see that being a plus if change is what we are after so I am mostly over that.
Do I think its high time a black person or a woman was elected to president? Totally! In fact, it’s very very overdue. Stupidly overdue. But I also don’t think we should confuse the issue that, just because it would be nice to finally let one of the two groups get the White House, we vote him in just because of that. Far too many friends have told me they are voting for Obama because “it’s about time we have a black president.” I would prefer we vote the person in who is the best person for the job regardless of what their color or gender is and I am still not convinced that he is it. And people voting for him just because he is black is just as messed up as people voting against him because of his skin color. The same would apply if it was a woman up there.
But I also have to say that I don’t think McCain is “evil” or in any way the same as Bush. I think he probably wouldn’t make a bad president, all things considered. He was the most Democratic Republican that we could have asked for and I do like some of what he is saying. That said, I am not comfortable with the way he 180-ed on a lot of things he personally believed in just to get the nomination and I do honestly think that he is too old for the job.
As for issues, as a person, I tend to be 50/50. I don’t like everything the Democrats or the Republicans stand for and I like the buffet method of issues. My mom always taught me that each election you are supposed to look at what both candidates stand for and then vote for the one that you overall like best. It would be nice if everyone’s mom told them that.
But I do think that what this country needs more than anything right now is some honesty and frankness. And less obsessive, blind voting based on party lines but that is an entirely different story.
Ideally, I would like whoever gets the presidency to, in their speech the day they swear in, basically say, Look America is a mess right now. Let’s admit that and then let’s try to fix it.
In the end, that is what bothers me the most about Bush. His stubborn refusal to just admit that we have a problem. I don’t even expect him to take responsibility for it. Blame it on whoever you want, I don’t care, but at least admit it. Saying, “America has no problems” is ludicrous. No country is perfect and that is why we are so hated abroad. Pretending we are perfect when we are having some huge problems in this country right now financially, economically and socially (where we are more divided than ever) is just plain bad for America.
In the end, I feel like McCain cannot, if he wants the continued support of his party or a second term, ever get up there and say, “Bush messed up” which is really what we need as a country to move on and fix stuff. This is why I will probably end up voting for Obama, begrudgingly. But what I really wish is that we could just reshuffle the deck and get some new candidates.
When I was watching the Olympics, I felt some national pride for the first time in ages. How awesome would it be to live in a country again where the president was mostly liked? Where you could see the president on TV and feel proud of America instead of rolling your eyes? That would be awesome.
Which is why I feel like we are already so far off on the wrong foot with this election. We have one candidate (McCain) that even his party doesn’t really like him (not conservative enough) and then another (Obama) that seems determined to alienate 50% of his party. Both sides have voters, like myself, that are going to vote for them begrudgingly or jump sides.
This is not unfixable. But they both have a heck of a job to try to make themselves likable by November. McCain gets that and his working his old tushy off doing it, esp with his VP choice which I still think may have just won him the election. I just don’t feel like Obama gets that but I hope he realizes it before we are out of time.
That said, I am going to make a concerted effort to not talk about the election anymore. The reason I made the promise to myself in the first place to not talk about it was that I know that I am alienating friends and other readers who like either side each time I flip-flip and I know I come off as a nuts because I am so very angry about it. I know its not “cool” to put yourself out there and talk about politics and I am going to try to keep my mouth shut about it. But I did want to clarify my post from before and my take on this election.
