Okay, so I was a music major in college, I am working in education. I don't have political experience, and I have never held office. Yet, it definitely seems to me like I hold a lot in common with the American people. Therefore, I am going to bluntly share my opinion on this Novembers election; the biggest of my lifetime thus far. Those of you that know me are aware that my vote will be going to Barack Obama & Joe Biden when election day comes around. Why? The list is long, but it is with a specific purpose that I write today, and I will unapologetically be very blunt, because frankly, there isn't any more room for political bullshit, negativity, or lying; there has been enough of that from the McCain/Palin camp already. Four years ago, I threw my vote away on Bush, and don't want that to happen again, so I have taken a special interest in this election because I don't want a repeat of the last eight years, and this blog is my platform for getting my opinion out there. So, here we go...
Earlier in the campaigning process, the McCain group had an ad that described Barack Obama as the 'biggest celebrity in the world', and therefore asked people not not vote for him based on the fact that he was famous. I see a couple problems with this: 1. Someones popularity should has nothing to do with the quality of their leadership, and 2. The republican ticket has an even BIGGER celebrity on their ticket, the great 'reformer', Sarah Palin. I was going to insert all of the many reasons that she is not qualified to hold a political office here, but I found someone who can do it even better. One of my favorite writers, Matt Taibbi. Here is how he, and many other conscious voters including myself, feel about what is going on right now. He could not have captured my opinion any better:
"Here's the thing about Americans. You can send their kids off by the thousands to get their balls blown off in foreign lands for no reason at all, saddle them with billions in debt year after congressional year while they spend their winters cheerfully watching game shows and football, pull the rug out from under their mortgages, and leave them living off their credit cards and their Wal-Mart salaries while you move their jobs to China and Bangalore.
And none of it matters, so long as you remember a few months before Election Day to offer them a two-bit caricature culled from some cutting-room-floor episode of Roseanne as part of your presidential ticket. And if she's a good enough likeness of a loudmouthed Middle American archetype, as Sarah Palin is, John Q. Public will drop his giant-size bag of Doritos in gratitude, wipe the Sizzlin' Picante dust from his lips and rush to the booth to vote for her. Not because it makes sense, or because it has a chance of improving his life or anyone else's, but simply because it appeals to the low-humming narcissism that substitutes for his personality, because the image on TV reminds him of the mean, brainless slob he sees in the mirror every morning.
Sarah Palin is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the modern United States. As a representative of our political system, she's a new low in reptilian villainy, the ultimate cynical masterwork of puppeteers like Karl Rove. But more than that, she is a horrifying symbol of how little we ask for in return for the total surrender of our political power. Not only is Sarah Palin a fraud, she's the tawdriest, most half-assed fraud imaginable, 20 floors below the lowest common denominator, a character too dumb even for daytime TV — and this country is going to eat her up, cheering her every step of the way. All because most Americans no longer have the energy to do anything but lie back and allow ourselves to be jacked off by the calculating thieves who run this grasping consumer paradise we call a nation."
-Matt TaibbiPosted Oct 02, 2008 3:00 PM
Now, I am not (nor is Taibbi) taking the elitist approach saying that I am better than anybody because of my views on this election, in fact, I am just trying to help expose the logistical fallibility of the McCain ticket. John McCain is a great American and patriot who has sacrificed a lot for his country, and I respect him for that, I just don't feel he is the best choice for president. I think the great thing about our country is that everybody has their own vote, and by all means, if you have legitimate reasons for voting McCain/Palin and that is truly where your heart lies, by all means that is what you should do. However, don't do it because Palin is the latest caricature of a celebrity and she took her sons to hockey games, or because she can field-dress a moose. Remember, she is the VICE presidential candidate. If McCain were to die in office, would you want her running the country? I sure don't. It would be like George W. Bush without the 'political experience'. Not good. Vote because someone is the best candidate - and this November, that choice is clear. Thanks for reading, and once again, this is all simply an honest Americans thoughts and feelings. I just feel that this election is too important to overlook and be timid about.
Cheers
BS
