Let me first say, I do not really follow politics very closely. My husband does, and he analyzes and gets the facts and does research before he makes his decisions. I’ve always gone with an emotional or gut feeling. Actually, I suspect most people do, since political alignment is such an emotional thing. Most of the positions trotted out by candidates are socially based, like civil rights, gay marriage, abortion, healthcare for the poor, capital punishment, and so on. A lot of these issues clearly divide people into one of two sides. I’ve always been a Democrat, first because my mother was a big time Democrat, then when I became and adult with my own opinions and voting power, because the party seemed to be most in line with my values & beliefs.
Tonight I’m watching the DNC. Ted Kennedy is speaking. Very emotional since he is so ill, and apparently nobody thought he would make it to the convention, let alone give such a rousing speech. The other day when I heard that McCain had pulled slightly ahead in the polls, it occurred to me that the country will fall into a deep depression if McCain manages to win the election. He seems like a perfectly nice man, a perfectly competent leader, but not all that inspiring, no? It seems certain that Obama supporters are more passionate than McCain’s supporters. They are far more emotionally invested. During the primaries, I had a hard time getting into all the hype surrounding Obama. I got a bit weary of it to be honest. Sadly, my lack of enthusiasm had very little to do with Barack himself or his views. I felt a little skeptical about all the hype. And I liked Hillary too, but mainly because I like to see women in power. Not that I’m a radical feminist, I’m just almost always going to feel loyalty to my gender. So, I was quite torn between the two. Now that Hillary’s out, I’ve been working on really getting behind Obama. I do believe that there are people who are supporting McCain simply because they (a) want a white guy, or (b) don’t want the black guy. I obviously understand about wanting to vote for someone who is most like you, but scenario (b) is simply wrong on many levels. And let’s just face it, Barry, president of the Harvard Law Review, raised by white grandparents and a white mother, has an awful lot of “white” going on there. And if you saw him dancing on Ellen, he pretty much shattered the stereotype of the awkward white dancer. I think people are afraid of him because they are judging purely on the surface. Ie, dark skin and his name - his name is scary for ignorant people. I mean, people really think he’s going to become president and carry out his master plan of terrorism from inside the White House. That level of ignorance makes me feel embarrassed for people. A name does not = terrorist. Actually, Barack’s middle name is Arabic for “good”. It’s not even a strictly Muslim name, it is not even religious origin at all (I just looked that up. :). Unlike “John” which is from religious origin. And yet nobody thinks John McCain a religious zealot. Hmmm. And Obama just rhymes with “Osama”. So, let’s see, names that rhyme = terrorist? I guess I’d be screwed if my last name was Fin Faden? I didn’t mean to get on a soap box here, but this kind of stupidity really worries me. No wonder the economy is in the toilet, and we’re fighting a war based on a mistake - we’re a country full of idiots.
The bottom line: We desperately need a leader that people can get excited about. The entire country is in a funk. Last night I got swept up in the emotional & powerful speeches from Caroline Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama’s mother, and Michelle Obama (side note: didn’t she look stunning btw? I thought she looked prettier than I’d ever seen her!) I’m now an out and proud Obama supporter.
