Politics, Abe Lincoln, and the Democratic National Convention
Yay! I'm all moved into my new apartment. It's BEAUTIFUL. My housemates and I got really lucky with our abundant windows and views of Pikes Peak. I really like the people I'm living with. I can't tell you how big of an improvement it is over last year's lonely and depressing dorm room. But right now I want to write a little about politics...
Politics
A caricature of Hillary Clinton by Jake Tapper. I guess you'd better be okay with people doing caricatures of you if you decide to go into politics.
On Thursday, August 28, my dad reminded me that it was last night of the Democratic National Convention. He told me that I should watch Obama's speech on TV. Now, I consider myself an informed and involved citizen. But for some reason I didn't want to watch the convention coverage or the speech. Why?
After some circumspection, I think I've figured it out. I know all too well that some people invest tons of effort in politics--only to see things go an entirely different directlion. Their candidates aren't elected, their causes aren't supported, their measures don't pass...You get the idea. Hilary Clinton's campaign in the primaries would be one example. It got SO much media coverage and seemed like the locus for SO much effort. But for the most part, it took about two seconds for the public to forget about the whole thing. I guess I wanted to protect myself from that kind of disappointment. Unfortunately, I have only so much energy to invest in the news and in things outside my own life (although I would really like to change that). When I watch the news, I tend to focus more attention on environmental, cultural, and social issues--not politics.
But in the end, where are all these issues decided? The political sphere. So I need to suck it up and start learning more about politics. My attitude was verging on the kind of nihilism and apathy that I see as very prevalent in American society. I also see it as one of our shortcomings. So no more of that. I have to stay informed. For God's sake, I'm a democrat and Obama supporter! I had no excuse for not watching his speech. I didn't really even have other things to do at that time. Now I'm very much engaged in news about the election, and I'd like to stay that way. No more chickening out--even though there's never a guarantee that what I want to happen will actually happen. If I disengage myself from politics, then I have absolutely no chance of EVER participating or "making a difference." Besides, debating about the candidates and issues is kind of fun.
Abe Lincoln
At some point during the convention, one of the speakers alluded to Abe Lincoln being percieved as America's greatest president. I checked this online and found tons of different rankings, but Lincoln does indeed top them all. Furthermore, conservatives and liberals agree on the assessment. They diverge later in the list, but not on Lincoln. I find that really interesting. I tend to admire Lincoln, but I've also run across some commentaries that call him a racist and "WAR CRIMINAL" (wordpress.com/tag/abraham-lincoln/). He's often criticized for suspending habeus corpus. My dad is skeptical of Lincoln for that move.
***I'm curious to know: Do YOU think Lincoln is America's greatest president? If not, who would you put in his place? Why?***
Cliché as it is, I think Lincoln continues to unify disparate parts of our country (and bring political parties together in their assessment of him). But I know other people might have a different opinion. By the way, I will NEVER judge your responses in any way. I just want to know what you think!
The Democratic National Convention
Okay. Amidst my idealism about politics, a bit of a critique. I did like watching Obama give his speech, but I have to admit that I found the music and the hoopla kind of excessive. It's a convention, not a movie needing a soundtrack! I almost felt embarassed for Obama. I think he's a very sincere, serious person and that the whole show may have been a bit below him. What do you think? Were the music and celebration overdone?
All right. Off to homework and then more homework. Hope everyone is doing well!
Politics
A caricature of Hillary Clinton by Jake Tapper. I guess you'd better be okay with people doing caricatures of you if you decide to go into politics.
On Thursday, August 28, my dad reminded me that it was last night of the Democratic National Convention. He told me that I should watch Obama's speech on TV. Now, I consider myself an informed and involved citizen. But for some reason I didn't want to watch the convention coverage or the speech. Why?
After some circumspection, I think I've figured it out. I know all too well that some people invest tons of effort in politics--only to see things go an entirely different directlion. Their candidates aren't elected, their causes aren't supported, their measures don't pass...You get the idea. Hilary Clinton's campaign in the primaries would be one example. It got SO much media coverage and seemed like the locus for SO much effort. But for the most part, it took about two seconds for the public to forget about the whole thing. I guess I wanted to protect myself from that kind of disappointment. Unfortunately, I have only so much energy to invest in the news and in things outside my own life (although I would really like to change that). When I watch the news, I tend to focus more attention on environmental, cultural, and social issues--not politics.
But in the end, where are all these issues decided? The political sphere. So I need to suck it up and start learning more about politics. My attitude was verging on the kind of nihilism and apathy that I see as very prevalent in American society. I also see it as one of our shortcomings. So no more of that. I have to stay informed. For God's sake, I'm a democrat and Obama supporter! I had no excuse for not watching his speech. I didn't really even have other things to do at that time. Now I'm very much engaged in news about the election, and I'd like to stay that way. No more chickening out--even though there's never a guarantee that what I want to happen will actually happen. If I disengage myself from politics, then I have absolutely no chance of EVER participating or "making a difference." Besides, debating about the candidates and issues is kind of fun.
Abe Lincoln
At some point during the convention, one of the speakers alluded to Abe Lincoln being percieved as America's greatest president. I checked this online and found tons of different rankings, but Lincoln does indeed top them all. Furthermore, conservatives and liberals agree on the assessment. They diverge later in the list, but not on Lincoln. I find that really interesting. I tend to admire Lincoln, but I've also run across some commentaries that call him a racist and "WAR CRIMINAL" (wordpress.com/tag/abraham-lincoln/). He's often criticized for suspending habeus corpus. My dad is skeptical of Lincoln for that move.
***I'm curious to know: Do YOU think Lincoln is America's greatest president? If not, who would you put in his place? Why?***
Cliché as it is, I think Lincoln continues to unify disparate parts of our country (and bring political parties together in their assessment of him). But I know other people might have a different opinion. By the way, I will NEVER judge your responses in any way. I just want to know what you think!
The Democratic National Convention
Okay. Amidst my idealism about politics, a bit of a critique. I did like watching Obama give his speech, but I have to admit that I found the music and the hoopla kind of excessive. It's a convention, not a movie needing a soundtrack! I almost felt embarassed for Obama. I think he's a very sincere, serious person and that the whole show may have been a bit below him. What do you think? Were the music and celebration overdone?
All right. Off to homework and then more homework. Hope everyone is doing well!