You want change? Then change the whole freakin' thing

As some of you may be privy to, 2008 is a presidential election year. This is quite newsworthy, I just found out about it myself....

Hi, I'm a moron. I'm also totally kidding.

Anyhow, Barrack Obama is campaigning on this whole concept of change. The past 8 years have been the worst of our miserable lives, and we have the power to change that, if only we'll vote for Barrack Obama, then things will change (presumably for the better, right?), that's basically the mantra.

Well, here's the thing- I agree with Obama. We do need change. I'm just not sure if Obama is the guy to do it. This campaign is pretty much the tipping point for me in terms of the amount of crap-tolerance I have for political stuff. The last debate was retarded- it was like two male peacocks striving to show off who had the most ridiculous plume. Both candidates speak in generalities, which is going to be good enough to sway much of the masses either way, but doesn't really let us know what is going to happen when they are president.

This is the first election I've cared about things like economic issues, the environment, foreign policy. I used to just look and see if a candidate was pro-life and anti-gay marriage. If they were, then they were my guy (or gal). Now, that's changed. I don't begrudge people that vote for those two issues primarily- after all, we aren't going to find the 'perfect' candidate, so it really is all about finding out what's important to us. If those issues are your go-to guys, then by all means fire away. I'm just saying, that this election my priorities are different.

Having kids has been the most profound change I've ever gone through in terms of my awareness of self and others- yes, even more so than marriage. I mean, it's one thing to know that kids are helpless and completely dependent, it's another thing to be responsible for kids in small chunks of time, and it is a COMPLETELY different ballgame when they are YOUR kids, and you are TOTALLY and in EVERY way responsible for their wellbeing. So right now, I'm looking at these candidates and saying, 'which one is going to ensure the best future (to the best of their abilities within 4 or 8 years, anyways) for my kids'. I'm looking at things like the economy, the environment, foreign policy, health care (because I want to be around to enjoy my grandkids) harder than ever before.

What is my point in all this? Well, taking a more critical look at the political process makes me realize how completely ridiculous it all is. I mean, watching the debates was pretty eye opening (that, and I'm taking a social welfare policy class, so I have a more informed lens to look through) about how this whole thing works- McCain talking about how Obama voted on this energy bill, and Obama firing back that McCain voted against children's health insurance. Man, both of these guys must be hypocrites.

Except here is the thing, both of those statements were sound bites- little bits of quotable material that take the place of actual information. See, there is so much more to policy than can be summed up in a couple words. Those policies are too complex to make them 'either-or' propositions, but that's what the candidates try to do. The sad thing is, there are probably lots of people that vote based on these 'sound bites', and don't actually dig for the facts. So McCain voted against a children's health bill. Maybe it was a sucky bill, maybe it would have ended up in too much governmental intrusion, maybe it was written in latin, whatever- it's not so simple as saying, well McCain is a moron. But that's what people vote by, is the ticker news.

If we really want change, we have to start looking at other parties as viable alternatives. Democrats and Republicans have gotten complacent as the only 2 parties that seem to matter. Campaigns have degenerated into personal attacks, half truths, and mass confusion. And while people have probably been sick of this for much longer than I, we feel trapped, because if we don't vote, then we aren't letting our voice be heard, and we feel like we have to vote republican or democrat, because they have a monopoly on our attention for political parties.

Look, if you agree with McCain or Obama on your key issues, then vote for them, that's not my beef at all. And I can't tell you much about any 'third' parties, so am I a hypocrite? Absolutely I am. I'm just saying that we need to take more time and critically evaluate WHY we are voting the way we are voting. If that means we break from party lines, then so be it. If that means we vote for Ralph Nader, then do it. Voting for another rendition of the 'status quo', no matter how prettily packaged (and I gotta admit, the Obama 'O' does look pretty cool), is still the status quo.

America, it's time to rise up and make ourselves matter in this political process. We can make a change with our votes, if we know why we are voting for who we are voting for. Don't just vote for someone because you want change, know what kind of change you want, and who can make that happen. I'm not saying 'vote for McCain'. I'm not even saying 'vote for Nader', because like I said, I don't know much about those other parties. I'm saying, 'think about why you are voting for whoever you vote for'. Besides, the only thing that Obama is absolutely sure to change is...the answer to a trivia question

This message is not endorsed by any political candidate or party, although I would be more than happy to take money from their 'campaigns'.

Wow, I've been laying on the heavy. My next post will deal with something more lighthearted...superhero movies, anyone?