I'm not sure if it's OK to have a political post on a blog called "Farting in the Shower," let alone immediately following a post called "Crotch Doctor," but since this isn't my blog I figured I'd go ahead and do it anyway.
Before I move into my topic, I think it would be relevant if I gave you a quick summary of my personal political background. Getting the big question out of the way, I'd say ideologically I side pretty squarely with the Democratic party. I agree with them on most civil issues, such as gay marriage, abortion, separation of church and state(*1), etc., and from what history and politics I studied in school, I believe the economic policy under Clinton was worlds better than the one introduced by Reagan and taken further by Bush. However, what's stronger than my ideological affiliation is my apathetic and futile attitude towards our government. I'm 24 years old, and I've never voted. I'm not particularly proud of it, but the reasons I had for not voting in the past still stand for the most part. I'm not going to get into them here because the only important thing to take from this is that while I'm ideologically a Democrat, I'm quite politically inactive.
The biggest political story right now is clearly McCain's controversial choice for his Vice Presidential running mate. As you should already know, he chose current Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. When this happened, and all I knew about her was that she was young, female, and from Alaska, my knee jerk reaction was that she was probably a bad choice. In truth, she is a woeful choice. Apart from her non-existent credentials(*2), extremely radical voting record(*3), questionable morals(*4), having a vagina(*5), she's also next in line if McCain's barely animated corpse should decide to cash out. I've only known of her existence for a week and I am terrified of this woman.
OK. Only Tom DeLonge could write a longer intro, and for that I apologize. So without further ado, I'll move onto my intended topic, what really scared me: Palin's speech at last night's Republican National Convention.
As I've hopefully illustrated, this woman already scares me. But what scares me more, as was accented during her speech, are the masses of people that blindly follow a person like this. Every few seconds during the speech, the camera would pan to some random attendees. The looks on their faces, coupled with their enthusiastic applause at the mention of topics such as torture and the war in Iraq, scare the balls off me. While I was overcome with a numbness of fear during the entire event, Two things in particular were stand-out-scary. One, every time she said something inflammatory about the Democratic candidates, the cameras could always find someone in the stands jumping out of their seats and flailing their arms and their signs in divine satanic ecstasy. The only comparison I can summon is from the movie Borat, where he visits the crazy religious congregations that speak in tongues and practice what I can only best describe as "running the gauntlet" through the isles during the sermon. Even sports fans aren't this enthusiastic. And the other thing that terrified me, was during a specific point in her speech where she was vilifying Obama for wanting to raise taxes. At one point she listed the taxes he wanted to raise. From what I can remember, it went like this: "Income tax, Payroll tax, (something), Death tax(*6), Business tax, (something)..." and the only audible boos in that huge crowd came when she listed "Business tax". BUSINESS TAX. Fuck every one of you rich greedy bastards in that room. I was appalled, speechless, confused, angry, everything. These are the people that want to run our country.
(*1)This shouldn't be a party issue (it's in the Constitution!), but sadly, it really is.
(*2)She's been Governor of Alaska (ALASKA!) for less than 2 years. She was mayor of a town of 5000 before that, and the rest of her political credentials aren't significant enough to mention, even with respect to what I just wrote.
(*3)She was a member of an organization that wanted Alaska to secede from the United States. Do I really need to add that she voted to ban abortion for rape victims? Or that she's a member of the NRA (scary)? Or for abstinence-only sex education?
(*4)When her water broke during her latest pregnancy to an autistic child in the mainland U.S., she decided to take a 10-hour plane/car trip back to Alaska to deliver the baby. Medically, this is extremely dangerous (once her water breaks, the baby is no longer in a sterile environment and is very susceptible to infection, which can easily become fatal to a fragile newborn), and in my opinion, incredibly morally irresponsible. Lest I forget, her 17-year old daughter is currently 5 months pregnant (abstinence-only education is clearly doing wonders for her own family).
(*5)Just trying to add a little humor, please don't be offended. But seriously, I think she has a vagina.
(*6)She emphasized "Death tax" for some reason, to no response from the crowd.
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Farting in the Shower is a ramblingand ecclectic mix of short stories, embarrasing confessions, pictures, and fast food reviews.
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18 comments:
"USA USA USA", those chants were creeping me out. It's like these folks don't care about the economy, education, healthcare, Sureme Court or anything other than being an American.
You should post more often. This made my day, seriously... as far as your point goes, yes, she scares the bejesus out of me as well. But despite all the issues that have come out about her (family issues, birthing issues, abortion issues, succession issues, etc) I somehow find her MORE attractive the crazier she gets! Do I want her to be the next VP of my country? no... Do I want to have hot sex with her in a cheap motel room followed by weeks of her calling and hanging up on me then finally showing up on my porch with a loaded .22 pistol and a love note? ab-so-lutely!
How many times does a woman have to knock on your door with a .22 in her hand before you take her seriously?
You can't have a politics post on your blog and not get a response from me...that would just be rude.
So here is my brief response:
1. As someone ideologically on the opposite side of the political spectrum, from my perspective your whole post could have been written about Obama and you wouldn't have had to change a word of it (yes, including the vagina comments - though metaphorically).
The only difference is that she would be at the bottom of the Republican ticket...whereas Obama is at the top of the Democratic ticket. So if inexperience, radicalism, or plain God syndrome worries you, take a stronger look at the Democrats seeking power.
With that said, I must clarify that I find Palin refreshing, inspiring, and will be proud to vote for her and McCain come November. :-D
2. Where in the constitution does it state "separation of church and state"? See here for a standard conservative view towards "separation of church and state".
I'm drunk right now so commenting is a bad idea. And for the sake of honesty, I'm a democrat. BUT...okay. I won't dissect the speech because both dems and republicans are guilty of taking statements and actions of their opposition out of context and blowing it out of proportion. And both parties include reasonable people and extreme pyschos. And, basically anyone who is successful in politics has to be at least sort of a shmuck. So, respect all around to people with different views than mine.
With that being said...I think Palin's nomination was a giant "fuck you" to the US. Hey, some of you wanted to elect Hillary? Where's here's another female, vote for her, she has the same reproductive system! Yeah, sure, VASTLY different political views...but hey, ovaries are in right now!
And I honestly believe that a VP should absolutely be nominated with the absolute conviction that this person could lead the country if the president dies. Yes, Obama is less experienced than McCain, but I believe in him, I'm inspired by him, and I am ready to vote for him. I do not believe that Palin could effectively lead this country if McCain kicked the bucket. Again, making her nomination an enormous middle finger since it would seem she was chosen for her gender and not her qualifications.
Again, drinking, so I hope this is clear and also perceived in the respectful and open way I mean it. This is way too long. Night!
Oops, one more thing. I just gotta say it - it KILLS me that this 17 year old is being hailed as a beacon of American enlightenment since she chose to keep the baby and marry the father. Oh, yeah, abstinence-only education didnt work out too well for her, but at least she's doing the right thing now!
This is not at all an attack on the girl. She's a normal teenager thrust into a spotlight and I feel bad for her that her personal life is under such scrutiny. Abstinence only education is just one of those things that sets me off, as does the hipocracy of painting her as a hero (when if she was a democrat's daughter the SAME people would be calling her a whore and trying to use her as an example).
I can't spell. This post was less civil and more ranting. I acknowledge that this topic just makes me kind of nuts.
I've never voted in a presidential election... I doubt I ever will... I think putting faith in any political candidate who aspires to hold an officer higher than say "city council" of a major city or "mayor" of a small-to-mid sized city should not be trusted.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Barack Obama is a fake... John McCain is a fake... they're both morally compromised and corrupted to the point that they'll say or do ANYTHING to get elected. We've seen John McCain reach out to the religious nuts, and Obama make concessions towards the center independents... they're fucking politicians. They're corporate pawns.
McCain scares me, Palin scares me, Biden scares me, and yes, Obama scares me... actually Obama scares me the most because he makes me feel hope and optimism and things that you should NEVER feel about a politician. I'm starting to believe that the stripper really likes me!
Sure, part of you wants to invite the smooth talking politician to come up for coffee and seduce you... but you should know that when you wake up in the morning he'll already be gone, $50 will be missing out of your purse, you'll be pregnant, and of course he gave you a fake name and you don't even know where he's really from so you won't even be able to get him for child support... so no, I won't be voting, not for Obama, not for McCain, not for anybody. But they ALL scare me.
HP - OK, the phrase "separation of church and state" doesn't appear in the constitution, but it is a direct application of the first ammendment that's been upholded and quoted as "separation of church and state" by the supreme court. Anyway, I think this is a vital concept for government to follow in establishing true religious freedom without favoritism. Unfortunately, this concept is commonly circumvented.
Also, I realize I was describing my issues with Palin, but the main focus of my post was that I was much more angry and much more terrified with the obscenely rich campaign contributors who will always hold incredible influence without any sort of election or necessary regard for popular will. As Joel's comment elaborated, their influence extends to both parties, and basically distresses me greatly.
to be fair to HP and the more traditional conservatives, this trend of letting religious fanatics dictate political policy is a relatively new development to the republican party, Bush was the first to let it get really out of control... the truth is that the black community, which traditionally votes democrat, has famously decided how to cast their votes on Sundays, in church... Until recently you couldn't win a mayoral election in DC, Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, etc, without winning over the most influential black church leaders... so neither side is innocent on that.
Joel - Great response. I couldn't agree more! This post summarizes my view towards all politicians. I am always amused by people who think otherwise - who think, but this politician is different. Awww, the faith of the naive!
Anyway, speaking as a guy firmly on the right, this is precisely why one of my primary political goals is for politicians and government in general to have less power.
Michael - Sure, and yes, the question is not really if the concept is in there, the question is more in how should it be applied...thats where the political disagreements lie. Did you read the article? In it he spells out the conservative (and I would say historical) approach to the first amendment..., I am curious, what specifically do you disagree with in the article?
Joel and Michael - what specifically of the Christian vote scares you? Do you object when the Christian vote has lead to opposition to the Iraq war? Or when it leads to opposition to the death penalty? Or is it just with regard to its views on abortion and gay marriage...particular topics that you happen to disagree with?
I see the Christian vote like I see the secular vote, or the capitalist vote, or the progressive vote...in other words, each sees the world differently and votes accordingly. No side is' better' or 'worse' and, frankly, no side should be excluded, they are all members of this Democracy.
In fact, if history is any indication, the Christian vote has had a tremendously positive impact on our judiciary. Whether we are talking about freeing the slaves, the removal of jim crow laws, the resistance to genetics, or the revolutionary war itself...Christians have had a far greater positive influence and moved this country more in the direction of freedom and away from oppression. The same can't be said of the progressive vote, or the leftist vote, and yet I still want them to vote what they feel.
HP- you make a good point about the role christianity has played in this countries progress, but there is a BIG difference between the average christian and the fanatic, and we both know what kind of christians we're talking about: Jerry Fallwell, Liberty University, speaking in tongues, "God Hates Fags", the people who make insane demonstrations in front of the Supreme Court everyday, etc... those people weren't at the forefront of anything "progressive" or "positive" during the civil rights movement, they were spouting out quotes from the bible that they felt justified segregation and hate... and I'm not saying they should be excluded from democracy, they just freak me out a little.
I think it's a little condescending to say it's naive to believe in a politician. I do agree that there's a certain level of skeeviness required to be successful in politics, but that doesn't neccesarily mean some people can't come out and change some things for the better.
Lauren- it's condescending to state my opinion?
I didn't say they couldn't change things for the better, I just think it's naive to believe that changing things for the better is the main objective... I would say the goal is to get elected above everything else, and if they do make some changes that benefit some people, well that's just a bonus... and I should clarify, once again, that I only mean politicians at a certain level... when talking about local politicians I think there are plenty of well intentioned, productive, worthy people... but to get beyond that level, mayor of a major city, governor, senator, delegate, president, etc your ego has to be out of control for you to even consider running for office.
Whoa, no, I'm sorry. That came out wrong - I didn't mean to say that I think anybody stating their opinion is being condescending. I was more reacting to HP's comment: "I am always amused by people who think otherwise - who think, but this politician is different. Awww, the faith of the naive!" I was just trying to say that I don't think it's naive to look for change.
I know this is the Internet so tone, facial expression, etc isn't immediately apparent. I'm glad that the subject came up, I'm glad people are taking part in the discussion, and I'm glad that I'm getting the chance to read other people's opinions that are presented in a thoughtful and respectful way (as I'm trying to be). I'm also nervous about insulting anyone (I immediately panicked that you thought I was coming down on you for having an opinion), so I'll be glad when we're back to our regularly scheduled programming. Yay, Dan the Post-It-er!
Also - Mike said, "Scarrier." Let's point and laugh!
lauren- relax
Joel - you relax.
regina- ????
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