"Lady, the God you pray to is too busy getting indicted for tax fraud."
Okay, so normally, I don't write about "mundane" things here, or at least I try not to. Nevertheless, here I go.
As some (okay, let's face it: few) know, I follow politics. *wonders how many people will click the "back" button at this point* [NB: virtual cookies to those who keep reading! ^.^ ] I can't even say that I merely follow politics--it's more like I immerse myself in it, especially in election season. For the longest time in college, I highly considered switching my major to Poli-Sci so that I could become a speech writer; the first channel I turn on in the morning when I wake up is CNN.
I soak in all the information that I can, because I believe that I have a fundamental responsibility to be an educated citizen, as well as an educated voter. Yes, I am a Democrat, but I don't blindly vote with the party if I disagree with a candidate's view on an issue that's important to me.
I'm enthusiastic, almost to a fault, and always to the amusement of my husband and my friends. When Bush was re-elected, I threw my beer at the TV (which wasn't mine, by the way, seeing I was at Rutt's! :-D Max couldn't stop laughing for a good five minutes!), and I burst into tears, fearful of what would happen to our country with another four years under his administration.
When I watched Obama speak four years ago at the Boston convention, I turned to the hubby and said, "watch this. History is being made right now, and he'll be back in four years as our party's nominee." He laughed at me, and told me I was nuts. Needless to say, I wasn't so crazy.
I was extraordinarily nervous last night before Obama spoke, as strange as that may sound. You see, my husband and I, although both Democrats, are very different types of Democrats. He votes based on foreign policy (mainly, Israel and the Middle-East, as his family is Israeli), and views that to be the most important issue at hand. Me, I vote more on domestic issues: women's health (I flipped out over the partial-birth abortion ban, and felt sick over the idea that those white, male, Republicans wouldn't include an exception for the life of the mother...but that's another story). The state of our economy frightens me; the mere mention of "No Child Left Behind" makes my skin crawl; these are only some of the things that factor into my voting choices. Needless to say, we've had many a heated argument over the campaign so far as a result. When the primary came around, he was surprised that I didn't vote for Clinton, but for Obama instead, because I didn't feel as though her views matched mine as well as Obama's did, and I didn't feel as though the fact that she was a woman and so was I was a good reason to vote for her.
That being said, as it became clear that Obama was going to be the nominee, I started to worry. He talks so much about change, and hope, and that we're on the wrong path right now, but failed to truly outline how he was going to go about it. But last night, all my fears were erased, and he came out swinging.
Now here's where my tiny rant begins:
McCain announced his running mate today, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, and like most people I said "who is this woman?" Well, let me tell you:
She's the youngest person to ever be governor of Alaska, and the first woman as well. She's 44, married, has 5 kids, and is a lifetime member of the NRA. She pro-life, and is a proponent of capital punishment. She strongly opposes same-sex marriage; however, her first veto as governor was used to block legislation that would have prevented same-sex partners of government employees from receiving benefits. Nevertheless, Alaska was one of the first states to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage (in 1998), and she has stated on more than one occasion that she supports this piece of legislation. She supports drilling into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Finally, she has a son in the Army, another child with Down Syndrome, goes moose hunting with her husband, and recently posed for Vogue magazine.
They announced her as the #2 on the Republican ticket today in order to hijack the news cycle from Obama's acceptance speech last night, and this kind of shit pisses me off to no end. These calculated moves in politics makes it feel more like a HS election for homecoming king, rather than the fate of our country's future. I hate the endless, negative adds that tell us nothing about what the candidate is, but more about what his opponent isn't; distasteful pot-shots aren't what the election process should be about, but always seems to degenerate into.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you live in the States, and are of voting age, educate yourself. Don't depend on 24-hour news channels to tell you what the candidates stand for--make a point of going out there and finding out the info for yourself. Vote with your heart and your conscience, but most importantly, VOTE.
Learn more about Barack Obama
Learn more about Joe Biden
Learn more about John McCain
Learn more about Sarah Palin
Obama's DNC Speech Part I
Obama's DNC Speech Part II
Obama's DNC Speech Part III
Obama's DNC Speech Part IV
As some (okay, let's face it: few) know, I follow politics. *wonders how many people will click the "back" button at this point* [NB: virtual cookies to those who keep reading! ^.^ ] I can't even say that I merely follow politics--it's more like I immerse myself in it, especially in election season. For the longest time in college, I highly considered switching my major to Poli-Sci so that I could become a speech writer; the first channel I turn on in the morning when I wake up is CNN.
I soak in all the information that I can, because I believe that I have a fundamental responsibility to be an educated citizen, as well as an educated voter. Yes, I am a Democrat, but I don't blindly vote with the party if I disagree with a candidate's view on an issue that's important to me.
I'm enthusiastic, almost to a fault, and always to the amusement of my husband and my friends. When Bush was re-elected, I threw my beer at the TV (which wasn't mine, by the way, seeing I was at Rutt's! :-D Max couldn't stop laughing for a good five minutes!), and I burst into tears, fearful of what would happen to our country with another four years under his administration.
When I watched Obama speak four years ago at the Boston convention, I turned to the hubby and said, "watch this. History is being made right now, and he'll be back in four years as our party's nominee." He laughed at me, and told me I was nuts. Needless to say, I wasn't so crazy.
I was extraordinarily nervous last night before Obama spoke, as strange as that may sound. You see, my husband and I, although both Democrats, are very different types of Democrats. He votes based on foreign policy (mainly, Israel and the Middle-East, as his family is Israeli), and views that to be the most important issue at hand. Me, I vote more on domestic issues: women's health (I flipped out over the partial-birth abortion ban, and felt sick over the idea that those white, male, Republicans wouldn't include an exception for the life of the mother...but that's another story). The state of our economy frightens me; the mere mention of "No Child Left Behind" makes my skin crawl; these are only some of the things that factor into my voting choices. Needless to say, we've had many a heated argument over the campaign so far as a result. When the primary came around, he was surprised that I didn't vote for Clinton, but for Obama instead, because I didn't feel as though her views matched mine as well as Obama's did, and I didn't feel as though the fact that she was a woman and so was I was a good reason to vote for her.
That being said, as it became clear that Obama was going to be the nominee, I started to worry. He talks so much about change, and hope, and that we're on the wrong path right now, but failed to truly outline how he was going to go about it. But last night, all my fears were erased, and he came out swinging.
Now here's where my tiny rant begins:
McCain announced his running mate today, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, and like most people I said "who is this woman?" Well, let me tell you:
She's the youngest person to ever be governor of Alaska, and the first woman as well. She's 44, married, has 5 kids, and is a lifetime member of the NRA. She pro-life, and is a proponent of capital punishment. She strongly opposes same-sex marriage; however, her first veto as governor was used to block legislation that would have prevented same-sex partners of government employees from receiving benefits. Nevertheless, Alaska was one of the first states to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage (in 1998), and she has stated on more than one occasion that she supports this piece of legislation. She supports drilling into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Finally, she has a son in the Army, another child with Down Syndrome, goes moose hunting with her husband, and recently posed for Vogue magazine.
They announced her as the #2 on the Republican ticket today in order to hijack the news cycle from Obama's acceptance speech last night, and this kind of shit pisses me off to no end. These calculated moves in politics makes it feel more like a HS election for homecoming king, rather than the fate of our country's future. I hate the endless, negative adds that tell us nothing about what the candidate is, but more about what his opponent isn't; distasteful pot-shots aren't what the election process should be about, but always seems to degenerate into.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you live in the States, and are of voting age, educate yourself. Don't depend on 24-hour news channels to tell you what the candidates stand for--make a point of going out there and finding out the info for yourself. Vote with your heart and your conscience, but most importantly, VOTE.
Learn more about Barack Obama
Learn more about Joe Biden
Learn more about John McCain
Learn more about Sarah Palin
Obama's DNC Speech Part I
Obama's DNC Speech Part II
Obama's DNC Speech Part III
Obama's DNC Speech Part IV