i don’t like politics, i don’t like talking about politics, i don’t even like thinking about them. but there are some things that even i, with my rabid distrust of the government and lack of faith in mankind, can not ignore. not in good faith, no matter how much i may want to.
it’s an election year, and honestly, to me it’s not much different than any other random ass year, really. just with an extra helping of bullshit.
i will go on record — and have on numerous times — saying that i don’t give a shit for either candidate. US politics has a knack for always giving the nation the lovely choice between a “douchebag and a turd sandwich”, and this year really isn’t different. because, honestly, it doesn’t matter if the candidate has different chromosomes or skin pigment or whatever that makes their campaign so “groundbreaking” when all the politicians are cut from the same sleazy, duplicitous, self-serving cloth.
“it’s time for change” is just something the pundits regurgitate to cover up the fact that this country can not, and will not accept change for real. and at the end of the day, the voice of the people is never heard. at least, not the people that could seriously use a change. the poor, the hungry, the sick, the young, the old, the disenfranchised, the ethnic, the religious, the female, the god damned fucking human…if you are not a rich/middle-class, white male, you are not a significant voice in the country.
now the election is getting trickier in such a way that i am distinctly nervous. the sarah palin rumors were true. mccain, in a surprisingly cunning move, has picked the first-ever woman candidate on a republican presidential ticket. god damned cunning stunts.
the possibility of a mccain administration frightens me. and yes, okay, i realize we’ve all just slogged through a hellish eight-year-long bush administration that has left the whole nation cringing. i don’t think there’s a single facet of the government or social policy that hasn’t been damaged in some way by W.
and now this. mccain is a scary candidate. if you are a woman, if you are of color, if you are a rational thinker, if you are anything at all that he is not…he is scary. but most especially if you are a woman, and you’re just trying to protect your body, your rights, your fucking life.
palin is a pretty much unknown variable in this whole stupid electoral process. she’s a pinch hitter, possibly a ringer, and could provide the leverage to lure away all the rabid PUMA idiots (look it up, i’m not explaining that tripe) who swear they are not going to vote obama.
the unknown variable just got quantified a bit more…and now, some facts about palin:
- she’s pro-life, yet a feminist?
- she’s christian (which should not matter, but it does)
- she’s very, very unexperienced
- she’s very, very competent
- she’s young (compared to mccain, but then everyone is)
- she’s a she (again, shouldn’t matter, but…)
- she’s a member of the NRA
- she’s got strong ties and interest to oil and environmental reform
- she’s got 5 kids (one in the military)
- she’s opposed to same-sex marriages but “tolerates” gays. she did grant benefits to same sex partners.
- she runs a clean government platform and will be very hard to smear
it makes me nervous, because just how much clout will she actually have in a mccain/palin administration? i mean, sure she could sit back and wait for his formaldehyde preservation system to give out and then assume the coveted position that would drive hillary over the edge…or she could languish as an unused novelty item. just look at cheney? he’s had how many heart attacks already? that man is never goin’ down, no matter how long we wait. it’s the good that die young.
picking palin does not make mccain evil, but it is a very calculated move that will galvanize the republicans into action. they can’t make people like someone so inept, so out-of-touch, so outdated (yeah? ok, he’s fucking old. older than dirt. ok), so uncompromising as mccain. especially not based on his service record alone. i mean, respect for the veterans and all that, but being a POW does not necessarily make you the best leader for the nation. even though it was a harrowing experience and whatnot, like…motherfucker got caught so he couldn’t have been that awesome a solider.
i’m just very nervous about this. if it goes wrong, it’s going to go very god damned wrong. and there’s so much at stake these days. plus, as the last two elections proved, the american public is very, very, very stupid. and will do stupid things tantamount to shooting yourself in your own foot (twice!) without a second thought.
I enjoyed reading your breakdown … these are scary times.