Super Tuesday! Hippos for Obama!

[evilhippo]

First off, I apologize for the fact that the two most recent public entries have been about politics. I'll keep my mouth shut most of this year, I promise. But I'm in Chicago, and there's really no avoiding the atmosphere. I'm surprised the clouds don't spell out Barak. (Okay, so it's not quite that pervasive. And it was too foggy to tell today anyway. But the bus conversations have been buzzing, and the number of local politicians devoting half their signs to him is pretty interesting.)

I actually caught the tail end of the news tonight when I got to work. For the first time in basically forever (honestly, all I ever see on TV anymore is Entertainment Tonight because it's on during my break and I have no control over the television, nor any other place to eat. I can quote Britney Spears' skeezy boyfriend. There just aren't words for how wrong that is). Anyway! I caught the news, and was surprised by how unabashedly weighted towards Obama it was. Not surprised that they were supporting Obama (because as far as I'm concerned, he's pretty awesomesauce right now), but that they were so blatant about it. I thought there were rules about that. Then again... it's Chicago, and it's tradition not to follow the rules here, especially when it comes to elections. And then I caught more election stuff on ET during my break. And it was mostly focused on Hillary, and she was... you know, I really can't figure her out. In all my text-based research and in static photos, I'm pretty much overwhelmed by the closet-Republican-oldschool-politician vibe, but on TV she seems so much more personable and human. Though she was being waymuch over-casual for the ET people, I guess that's pretty much par for the course. I mean the show's been stalking the "MORBIDLY OBESE" mother of some girl who auditioned for American Idol for like, a week now. Know your audience and all that.

But okay... my actual point here is that tomorrow is the Big Day in the primaries. I know no one is actually going to come out of it with a majority yet, but I love the feeling I'm getting from this right now. It's... I think it might be hope. I mean, we might be beginning to untie the ropes so we can head towards the cave's exit. I didn't think it'd be possible for me to think that but... I mean, seriously, the center of our election this year is a race between a woman and an African American and the fact they are what they are was only an issue for a media-teeth-gnashing week or so in the middle of January. I love the fact that I don't have to vote for Hillary just because she's a woman and I think it's about time we had a woman president. Because really, it's just about time that we had a president that wasn't a freaking Old White Man. And Barak doesn't have a massive political machine moving behind him. He has people. He has ideas. He's charismatic. (Charisma! From a leader! I thought that was dead! I mean, goodness, imagine the people that are like, 18 and younger now. Who were at the most 10 when Bush became president. They probably expect presidents to be dumb and irresponsible! I mean, I grew up under Clinton, and up until this Bush my fear for presidents was massively unnecessary political infighting over adultery, which was none of their business in the first place. Though okay, perjury was, but seriously... affairs are a matter for the people involved, and have nothing to do with anyone's ability to govern.) Plus it's very hard to attack him, so honestly even if he wasn't the awesomesauce on the awesomepasta of these primaries, I'd kind of want to see Obama win the nomination just so I don't have to put up with attack ads all fall.

And my secret hope in all of this? I want to see Obama and Hillary run together. Because I think they'd complement each other nicely (and seeing them all chummy in the last debate was amusing). And really, if by 2009 I can find myself living in a country that elected a woman and a black man together, I would actually be forced to bump my faith in humanity up a notch. Seriously. That would be amazing. And maybe "liberal" would stop being a curse word here.

Comments

[lisiche.livejournal.com]

I don't mind Obama, but I think the man needs to grow some international policy spine. He's... too NICE. Nice is good for internal politics, if potentially catastrophic (I'm looking at YOU Carter), but it is DEFINITELY disastrous in international politics (...I'm looking at you Carter).

You know, there's something I don't think many people have thought of when endorsing an Obama/Clinton Clinton/Obama campaign. ...way I see it, they're setting themselves up for some major assassination issues. Either way you go, you've got the first black pres being assassinated so there can be a first female pres, or the first female pres being assassinated so there can be a first black pres. It'll be attempted! Mark my words!

Secretly, I'm sad Giuliani didn't do so well. The man's a damn good businessman, keeps his head fantastically well during a crisis, and apparently runs into burning churches to make sure everyone's out. ....And horrible at campaigning. ...and a tabloid waiting to happen over and over with his personal life.

[evilhippo.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I haven't heard a whole lot about his international policy, buuut considering how Bush basically alienated the entire world we could probably do with a bit of nice. And I'm an idealist, so I kind of trust that Obama, though nice, thinks enough not to make overly-nice mistakes (that's what advisors are for, too). (-;

I'd like to think that the sort of people that want a woman president or a black president kind of overlap. I mean, the kind of radicals that'd find it so infuriating that we had a woman instead of a black man, or a black man instead of a woman and would actually take it far enough to assassinate one for the other have got to be a tiiiiiiny minority. And sure, that's all it takes for assassination, but that's really for the Secret Service to take care of, not for the voters to worry about. I'd be more worried about people who wouldn't want either. I mean, last time this came up, it was someone refusing to vote for Obama because he'd get assassinated. Eesh. Let him worry about that, I'm sure he's aware of what he's getting himself into.

Giuliani is really the only Republican I wouldn't have minded. I was secretly hoping he'd win the nomination, just so I wouldn't have to cry as much if we elected another Republican. But yeah... no good at campaigning. And a veritable carnival of a personal life. Hehehe.

[lisiche.livejournal.com]

Alas, I don't like ANY of the potential candidates this year. Obama's too nice (or, if I'm in a foul mood, spineless), Clinton's too dirty and patronizing, Huckabee's just blech, Romney.. I don't mind Romney too much, but he's TOO conservative. McCain's smarmy (though I do have to give him kudos for the whole POW thing, but while that was undoubtedly a living hell, he needs to lay off it already), and I'm totally against open borders. Ron Paul's international policies also suck ass.

Honestly, all I want is to not be punished for being successful when I AM successful, I want wellfair programs to be downscaled (because, harsh as it is to say, most of them do NOT deserve a penny, they are NOT entitled, it is NOT part of the Constitution, it is NOT the Great Depression, the government does NOT 'owe them'), and I want a border security plan to actually be implemented. I don't care if it works, so long as it's TRIED, because open borders can only lead to tears (and if my grandparents had to pay to come over on a BOAT across the effin Atlantic and my mother had to have god knows how many vaccinations, they can go through the proper channels too) And along with this, I want social reform, but without all this 'I'm not part of the heteronormative white male majority, so I should get special treatment' nonsense. AND STRONG INTERNATIONAL POLICIES. Possibly some that, god forbid, might intervene now and then on genocides? Because while that's none of our business, and we're not the world police or anything, genocides always come back to bite us in the ass for some reason. I'M FUCKED. I GOT NO POLITICAL PARTY. *cries* I'M A MODERATE. TT_TT I AM A DIRTY, FILTHY MODERATE.

[/ramble]

[evilhippo.livejournal.com]

HOW DARE YOU HAVE OPINIONS ABOUT POLITICS THAT DON'T FOLLOW PARTY LINES! THAT'S UNAMERICAN! YOU... YOU TERRORIST!

I've yet to really separate myself from the party system... On the whole, I think the Democratic party is a bunch of numskulls, but they're the best I've got because most of the people farther left (and therefore cooler) come off as raving lunatics. And unfortunately this year, since I'm a pathetic, pathetic idealist and though that gets me into more trouble than it helps me, I really like Obama. The more I think about it, it's more what he's a symbol of than the actual man, but he's the first candidate I've ever actually liked. I imagine a part of this is from the UofC too, though, because it was basically in the air down there (you had to pick it out from between the particles of neo-conservative economics, but it was there). I mean, he taught at the law school and goes to the bookstores down there. I own stock the bookstores he shops in. I've also probably insulted his house. So, unfortunately this makes him a candidate I am more tangentially connected to than any of the others, and who I mostly agree with. Which is my justification for jumping on his bandwagon. (-;

That, and I basically have the same problems you do with the rest of the candidates. Huckabee scares me because his beliefs are so counter-intuitive to me and he believes wholeheartedly that he has the right to base his policies on them. Ron Paul's supporters scare me more than he does, actually, considering their debates on whether he should be campaigning in Europe, and their attempts to get a NASCAR ad deal.

As someone who, were it not for my pride, should probably be on welfare, I kind of have to disagree with you on that. Not because I think the government "owes" anyone, but because I think the government should be there to support people when they can't make ends meet; there are times when the economy just doesn't allow for you to have the job you need, and if there's no safety net, people can fall dangerously far. (It'd help a lot more if we had a living wage.) The welfare system as it is, though, needs some serious reform. I grew up in a family that was entirely self-employed, and we scraped by on macaroni and cheese and hotdogs for years because we couldn't get welfare. Why? Because my dad spent too many hours a day working. Meanwhile, one of his biker bum friends was buying steak and expensive cheese with his welfare money and foodstamps. (And as an aside, I have a completely unacceptable belief that people on welfare shouldn't be allowed to have more children while on it, and that there should be severe limitations on how long you can be on it. Actually, I have all kinds of horrible ideas on limiting the stupid people who keep having children. I read an article a while ago that pointed out that we were in a random unexplained baby boom, and the most likely reasons for it were lack of education (general education, not just sex ed). Which means we are having an upsurge in children born by uneducated people. And they will be raised by them. And they will probably end up just like them. And soon those of us with any brain cells will be even more outnumbered than we already are. But unfortunately complaining about this makes me sound like a eugenicist. Which I guess I kind of am, because really, we've done too much to eliminate the punishment in this world for being completely utterly dumb.

ramblerambleramble ^_^

[evilhippo.livejournal.com]

Holy crap these replies just keep getting longer.

[lisiche.livejournal.com]

Yes they do. And I have to say that my views of welfare people are based ENTIRELY on the trash and drivel that came into our bank on government check day. Have I ever told you about Lola? ...if not, the scariest part about her is that she bred. ...so I'm with you on the kids thing too. To be more radical and full of dictatorship (I would be such a dictator if I could), I think there should be a test for parenthood. Yes, there are some really screwed up people who only turn their life around because OMG they have KIDS NOW (my lovely cousin Lee is one of them!). ....they are in the vast vast vast minority. Genetically mentally disabled people should be sterilized.

Also, just to keep prodding the welfare cow, WHY DO UNWED TEENAGE MOTHERS GET A BREAK ON CAR INSURANCE?! My friend Jac... Nurse, been one three years, never been in an accident, never even had so much as a parking ticket. Pays more than an unwed teenage mother. (And that's compensating for car value.) ....wtf. Good job! Reward irresponsibility! Because even though they couldn't handle their own bodies, they sure can handle a car! On the off-chance that the pregnancy was on purpose... Well, they sure wouldn't have been getting the break in a few years, why give it to 'em now. ((I am going to some sort of Republican hell, aren't I?))