Voting ftw
I don't think I've really posted about this election since John Edwards dropped out. And I don't know why that is, because it's pretty much all I think about. That, and food. And SNL. But, you know, it's up there.
I'm totally nuts for Barack Obama. Even though he was my third choice, I still think he's brilliant, passionate, and extraordinarily qualified. Last spring I was really worried that he was too much like Jimmy Carter, but only now do I realize he isn't. Jimmy Carter got so wound up in trying to do what he promised that he didn't think through the logic when he made half his decisions in office. He was so enthusiastic about foreign relations that he frequently diverted focus from what was going on in his own country. He's done some wonderful things since then, but I don't think the White House was the right place for him. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is nothing like that. His platform doesn't involve insulting everyone working in Washington D.C. and then wondering why they refuse to work with him when he's elected. I think Obama knows what he's doing. I think he's fiercely intelligent and willing to work his ass off to get things done.
I've been thinking about what it would be like if I had kids and they asked me about this election. (This really rides on the possibility that they end up being huge geeks, but really, what are the chances of me raising a normal child?) All I can think of is how embarrassed and ashamed I'm going to be when I have to tell them that I didn't do shit for this election. Every day, I got excited about the possibility of going to New Hampshire over the weekend or taking an evening shift and calling voters. And I didn't do anything. Because I'm afraid to put effort into everything if there's no guarantee that it will turn out my way. I didn't want to get let down. I was afraid about how it would make me feel. Because I am, in fact, that fucking selfish. Today I'm going to vote for the first time, trying to feel like I've done something incredible but knowing I could have done so much more. I can only hope that this realization will make me slightly less of an asshole the next time around.
Today I'm also voting on whether to decriminalize marijuana in Massachusetts, so I think this icon is particularly appropriate. I'm also going to be a big fucking communist and vote to keep our income tax. It's a pretty exciting day for me.
I'm totally nuts for Barack Obama. Even though he was my third choice, I still think he's brilliant, passionate, and extraordinarily qualified. Last spring I was really worried that he was too much like Jimmy Carter, but only now do I realize he isn't. Jimmy Carter got so wound up in trying to do what he promised that he didn't think through the logic when he made half his decisions in office. He was so enthusiastic about foreign relations that he frequently diverted focus from what was going on in his own country. He's done some wonderful things since then, but I don't think the White House was the right place for him. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is nothing like that. His platform doesn't involve insulting everyone working in Washington D.C. and then wondering why they refuse to work with him when he's elected. I think Obama knows what he's doing. I think he's fiercely intelligent and willing to work his ass off to get things done.
I've been thinking about what it would be like if I had kids and they asked me about this election. (This really rides on the possibility that they end up being huge geeks, but really, what are the chances of me raising a normal child?) All I can think of is how embarrassed and ashamed I'm going to be when I have to tell them that I didn't do shit for this election. Every day, I got excited about the possibility of going to New Hampshire over the weekend or taking an evening shift and calling voters. And I didn't do anything. Because I'm afraid to put effort into everything if there's no guarantee that it will turn out my way. I didn't want to get let down. I was afraid about how it would make me feel. Because I am, in fact, that fucking selfish. Today I'm going to vote for the first time, trying to feel like I've done something incredible but knowing I could have done so much more. I can only hope that this realization will make me slightly less of an asshole the next time around.
Today I'm also voting on whether to decriminalize marijuana in Massachusetts, so I think this icon is particularly appropriate. I'm also going to be a big fucking communist and vote to keep our income tax. It's a pretty exciting day for me.