What's all this election fuss?

[Alex Luboff]

I'm sick of politics. Tonight, at dinner, with my family gathered around the table, all together for the first time since last Christmas, I announced that I would no longer be pursuing a career in politics. I got looks of confusion, DEFINITE looks of disbelief, but the events of the past couple of days have convinced me that I can no longer do what I love, and instead I have to bury myself underground to hope that one day, I might return, and things may be different. But I'll need a shovel...

So here's what happened. This election is getting to me. Badly. I've seen the same old tactics from both sides, some new flops, and enough garbage to make even Jerry Springer say "Wow, that's a lot of garbage".

PART THE FIRST:

My favorite thing will go first. This ad, released by the McCain campaign, was the final straw my friends. After seeing this, I found the nearest Asian market, bought thousands of bamboo shoots, and began to impale myself on them. And that was an improved afternoon.

And to answer your question, yes, I vomited in my mouth (a little) when I saw that the McCain "professionally run" campaign put Paris "That's so hot" Hilton and Britney "Where's my baby?" Spears in the same commercial as Barack Obama. Not to say that Paris didn't grow up on food stamps, and that Britney couldn't get into Harvard law, but this is the mother of all cheap shots.

I expected more from Senator McCain, who BUILT HIS ENTIRE CAREER AND REPUTATION off of not sinking to the levels of my BFF Karl Rove and the Bush campaign strategy. Too bad that Senator McCain, a man who has stood in Washington as a man of great character and straight talk on his "Straight Talk Express" on spinners, has several Bush strategists and loyalists on staff and as big time partners. Oops.

I miss the CRUD out of the old John McCain. Not OLD John McCain, though.

PART DEUX

Don't think I'm letting Obama off the hook.

While I am ALL FOR a global identity (totally have like 12 passports), and I think that the NEXT American president, whoever he may be (I'm betting on Ralph Nader) must unite the world and regain the faith in the American way. It's a crucial foreign policy issue, and I definitely believe that is it an important campaign issue, that being: Who will do a better job restoring trust in America?

However, there's a little problem with Obama's speech. A slight issue. (Please don't yell.)

Obama's message in his speech was inconsistent with what he has been saying at home. That's not good strategy. Like I said, I think his message is good, but he's running for President of the United States of America. His trip should have been a visit based on him currently being the junior Senator from Illinois (he's mine, folks), and not been a elongated campaign stop. He needed to go abroad, but he didn't need to campaign like this while abroad. He just went a little far, in my "expert" opinion.

And I think he played into McCain's hands a little bit by apparently attempting to emulate what JFK and Ronnie Reagan had done in Berlin, moments that were far more epic than a campaign speech by a Democratic nominee.

It's not that WHAT he said was necessarily out of line (though 'global citizenship' might be a little awkward for the French), but rather HOW he said it. His campaign had wanted to speak in front of the Brandenburg gate, where Reagan said those famous words "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" I'm not trying to say that the Gipper was the greatest President ever for it. But I am trying to say that Senator Obama made the mistake of taking his Presidential image too far. It's good to appear Presidential during a campaign for the Chief Executive, but this seemed a bit excessive.

Maybe Obama will have a moment like those when abroad if he is elected President of this great nation, but he's got to actually focus on winning, and not on crowning himself quite yet.

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So let's have it. What are your thoughts on America's current political climate?

[jjrink87]

i cant tell you how pissed i was at the new mccain ad. and i was borderline going to vote for the man in nov.

having second thoughts about the whole election...and i mean voting at all...

[Alex Luboff]

Well I will tell you this much.
I used to be a McCainamaniac. But then, all of a sudden, 3 years into the Iraqi Conflict, he switched to be FOR troops presence there. Before, he was the biggest voice on getting troops out of Iraq and into Afghanistan.
He also used to be one of the staunchest opponents of the Bush tax cuts, and now he's saying he wants to make them permanent.
He also never used to be a friend of Karl Rove style campaigning, having used to be on the board of Project Vote Smart, a non-partisan organization devoted to fighting through the smear of dirty campaign tactics, and now he's doing stuff like this, right out of Rove's playbook (using a Rove student as a campaign manager).
He also never aligned himself with the Neo-conservatives that have, dare I say, hijacked and destroyed the Republican party, and now, they have hijacked and ruined him.

It saddens me to see what has happened to John McCain. He brought it on himself, and the country has lost a great legislative hero in the process. He lost his determination to do what's right, and not just what is convenient. It's been a sad day.

However, after all of this, I don't think that you shouldn't vote at all. There are lots of other things to vote for. You should look at one of my older stories that talks about the importance of voting and that has a bunch of links to find candidates on. The best site for it was that thing I was talking about earlier, Project Vote Smart at Project Vote Smart - American Government, Elections, Candidates and Voting . You should go there and look at your down ticket races. And besides, maybe you'll find that you like Obama...who knows. But not voting means giving up, and that's not very cool.

[jjrink87]

yea...i was just venting w/ the not voting stuff. btw, great article on the importance of this election (http://iuplanet.com/forum/scholar-s-...ork-beans.html)

so i have a question. it seems like kerry got MURDERED on "flip-flopping" issue...why isnt mccain getting the same treatment? i mean, im not that big into politics, but even i know that mccain was seen as more middle-of-the-road and not really "in the big boys club" with all the other neocons, as you said. why isnt this being portrayed in the media much? he needs to be held accountable for his stances...theres not a lot of respect to be had for puppets of the gop...

[Alex Luboff]

McCain is the darling of the media, even though he paints it as if Obama is. McCain has always had a very warm relationship with them, because he gives them the best access (and free rides on the Straight Talk Express, this cycle and in 2000), and because he's a good quote-ster.

If there is such a thing as a 'liberal media' (which, by the way, the media seems liberal because the press has always been a check on the government, and the basic premise behind American liberalism has been criticizing the status quo, therefore the media always SEEMS to be 'liberal'), then they would obviously go easier on their favorite Republican, McCain, who USED to make a career off of saying "Hold on, Neocons". It's also a reason that Nebraska Senator Chuck "Don't F--- With Me" Hagel is so popular in the media.

Mavericks make good stories, and McCain made his name that way. And the media still loves him for it. (Granted, I don't think that Obama is getting a 'rough' time from the media, and I guarantee that they could/SHOULD be harder on him, but McCain is using the classic excuse that they just don't like him.)

The fact of the matter is that Senator John Sidney McCain III has changed since 2000. He has lost his maverick ways. Does this mean that Obama is better? Not necessarily, but I think that it means that Sen. McCain is a worse candidate, and I think it makes our country worse off, because I'm telling you, the old (as in previous, not elderly) Sen. McCain would already be 15 points up in the polls. Once the rest of America realizes what has happened, that McCain has succumb to the pulls of the Neoconservative movement, this race could be a lot less close than it is right now. Bank on that.

[The_Dude]

If McCain is such the "media darling", then why wasn't his overseas trip as highly publicized?

Sen. McCain stands for honor.
Obama's plans border on fascism.
I, personally, enjoy my American freedoms.
If you want fascism, move to China, where, by the way, we are kicking A$$!

But no matter where you lie on the political spectrum, we should all agree on this: America Rawks!

[Napoleon1804]

I've seen the same old tactics from both sides, some new flops, and enough garbage to make even Jerry Springer say "Wow, that's a lot of garbage".

That's the essence of politics. It is little more than advertising for a product, but with more serious consequences. You might be more interested in policy rather than politics, the latter having nothing to do with the former.

Too bad that Senator McCain, a man who has stood in Washington as a man of great character and straight talk on his "Straight Talk Express"

Men "of great character" do not bomb civilian targets at 30,000 feet in the air.

Who will do a better job restoring trust in America?

Obama would make foreign people more comfortable with America, as there is a less probability he will bomb them. But everyone else still fears America and its constant misuse of power.

If there is such a thing as a 'liberal media'

The media loves power, and bends over backward to fall inline with it. It makes up its own mind as to whatever elite group (democrats or republican) it decides to fall in with.

If McCain is such the "media darling", then why wasn't his overseas trip as highly publicized?

His trip to Colombia was hardly interesting.

Sen. McCain stands for honor.
Obama's plans border on fascism.

Nonsense.

But no matter where you lie on the political spectrum, we should all agree on this: America Rawks!

I disagree. It is the single largest supporter of fascism, torture, and terrorism post-WWII. Of course I'm referring to things one can't get from watching CNN all day.