So, when I was in high school I was told over and over again how apathetic our generation is when it comes to politics. When 18 year olds were granted the right to vote over 50% did so in the next national elections. In 2000 it was closer to 20%. This information gave me another opportunity to rail against my peers, something that every American high school/college student absolutely adores to do. So, while the news made me vaguely angry, it also made me profoundly, though pathetically, happy. Luckily (for this one, small, particular issue) we elected George W. Bush in that election, and the world proceeded to go, inexorably, to Hell in a handbasket. Fun! Luckily a lot of people hated him almost as much as I and youth turnout in the 2004 election was much higher. Part of this also had to do with the incredibly small margin by which Bush II was elected, which reminded us that one vote can make a difference (jesus I am a wretched writer for that sentence, however true it may be).
But anyway, youth voter turnout is probably going to be astronomical this time around because everybody is absolutely cuckoo for Barack Obama. Much has been written on the man, and my opinions on him are extensive, which is a pretty huge compliment since I generally don’t give a damn about celebrities (and let’s face it, he’s the first since JFK to be a celebrity first and politician second). Now, I will get to some opinions about Obama, if you care, but many of them are somewhat widely held, so I won’t go into egregious detail. I think the most surprising think about Obama is that he hasn’t received the endorsement of all the right wing Christians and evangelicals. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But he is liberal, supports freedom of choice, gay rights, taxes, and all the other things Conservative Christians hate.” And that’s a good point, but I still can’t believe they’re all not behind him. I mean, one would think that the religious community would unilaterally support someone who is essentially considered, by pretty much everyone, the second coming of Christ. Why on Earth hasn’t his campaign started marketing this way?
So in case you couldn’t tell this is a sort of a rant against Obamarama, but don’t get me wrong, I really like the guy. He’s smart, eloquent, has great ideas, and will definitely be a positive force for change in the US. Go Barack! What I don’t like is the feverishness of the cult surrounding him. Tell someone under the age of thirty you like Hillary better and an Obama supporter will look at you with pity, shame, disbelief, and anger all at the same time. Now, does that sound just a bit like the crazy conservatives supporting Bush in 2000 to anyone else? Just saying. Anyway, I also don’t love his “policies,” which the ever-wonderful NPR program Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! adequately summarized as “Change, Hope, and a 50% increase in Gross National Positivity.” I just can’t get behind a person of such nebulous ideas, no matter how smart he is. I do a fair amount of research into candidates, not a ton, but some, and I honestly have no idea where he stands on anything except that the war in Iraq is bad. Fucking d’uh. So whatever, that’s all I’m doing on Barack ‘n’ roll.
What I really love about this campaign though, is that its generally perceived (domestically) that America’s biggest three social issues are racism, sexism, and ageism. Score! We got crazy old McNasty (his actual high school nickname), Paris Hillton, and Baracktion. All the white dudes (even my main-man, Johnny E) got the shit kicked out of them by the “maligned” groups of America. I gotta say, however this turns out, I’m stoked. I mean, no matter what happens, the next president is going to belong to a group that most major employers would actively avoid, which says less about the candidates than about the problems that still persist in The Greatest Country on Earth (registered trademark).
For better or worse though, I’m backing the Hillinator because blondes have more fun.
And really, isn’t that the point?
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