Beneath the gossamer layers of Obamania there’s a dull disappointment about our choices for president – a disappointment, once sharp, blunted at the edges by the knowledge that we should be oh so inspired by Mister Maverick and Sir Change Agent.
Instead, we’re left feeling like we’re stuck between Barack and a hard place (ha!), coerced into lesser-of-two-evils vacillation.
No blaming “the political establishment” this time, though. It’s a conundrum of our own doing. We chose these two guys from among many – arguably many more of the same, admittedly – and ignored anyone daring to step out of the bounds demarcated by R and D.
Now that the heavy lifting is over – the whole thing’s in the hands of the undecided, people who aren’t reading this anyway – the rest of us would do well to consider how exactly we ended up at this juncture. In our three-part series leading up to the election, we’ll analyze the primary forces that left us with Barack Obama and John McCain – an exploration of the choices we made that shaped the choice we’ll make.
And so here’s Force #1 …
“Getting out the vote” means summoning those precincts that are least suited to make such a momentous choice.
The FITS girls’ uber-crush John Stossel conducted a handy little experiment to test this theory.
Stossel decided recently to quiz people at a rock concert – people who, courtesy of HeadCount, were taking a break from mosh-pitting to register to vote.
And quiz them he did, on basic American politics.
According to some of these newly-minted voters, there are 12 U.S. Senators. Or 64. Or 50 per state.
In case those future voters were just very numerically challenged or something, Stossel delved deeper.
Roe v. Wade is about segregation or bankruptcy, depending on which perplexed voter you ask – and those are answers from people who recognized the name of the landmark Supreme Court decision.
“Roe v. Wayne?” one future voter asked.
And who knew there were 52 states?
Maybe democracy is flawed. Or maybe it can’t operate as intended when well-meaning but clueless activists recruit to precincts well-meaning but clueless n’er do wells.
The hip, progressive thing to do is to “get out the vote.” Celebrities and athletes, themselves lulled and dulled by the ephemeral metrics of hipness, have been deluded into thinking that they’re channeling their fame by gushing their “vote!” refrain.
It’s no surprise, then, that hip, progressive celebrities peddling a hip, progressive message at hip, progressive venues turn out hip, progressive voters.
Liberal voters, in other words. Voters who are so adamantly avant-garde that they might just get a bit turned on by Obama’s connection to Bill Ayers. Voters who find a scintilla of scintillation in accusations that Obama is anti-American.
Voters who – and this is really the point – are way too young, inexperienced, and cool to vote for anyone but the young, inexperienced, and cool candidate.
Tune in again tomorrow for the second explanation of how McCain and Obama came to be our presidential options.
By Gillon November 1, 2008 at 1:54 pm
So your point is that “young, inexperienced, and cool voters” will vote for “a young, inexperienced, and cool candidate?” Well heck, I guess McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate was not such a bad decision after all. We appreciate your efforts Mande, but to be truthful too many of your columns seem to be more and more simply an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of a valid idea. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with being “young, inexperienced, and cool.” So keep on keeping on, at least you might promote some discussion, which goodness knows this state needs.
By Jeffrey Sewell November 1, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Was it not Obama himself that told a crowd that he had visited all 58 States?
By rick November 1, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Why would they know? We’ve taken history, civics, social studies, American History et.al out of the public educational system. Without a foundation, it means you have to either educate them at home, or wait until they begin to figure out their being screwed and begin to educate themselves…..The result of our failure to force basic citizenship knowledge in school from K1 to K12 is shown throughout not only the elections but the concept of patriotism and what it really means. Looking forward to the rest of your ideas.
By Jeffrey Sewell November 1, 2008 at 2:58 pm
My mistake, it was 57 States: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws
By nope November 1, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Why do you think the “undecideds” aren’t reading this site? I myself am “stuck between Barack and a hard place” and I go back and forth every day.
By rick November 1, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Nope….Most people aren’t interested enough to read anything. They get they’re information from friends and campaign ads. While neither candidate is what we peofess to want, it seems that we brought them out front and center.
You could vote for an independent….But lets see what Barack had to say about the war….its failed and we need to come home..(nope, don’t want to judge by that piece of information)…most liberal senator to ever spend a whole 143 days voting 100% along party lines…(nope, don’t want to judge by that piece of information)….preaches self sacrifice and how we are our brother and sisters guardian, wait…and Aunt illegally in a Boston slum, a brother making 12.00 a year….(nope, don’t want to judge by that piece of information)….refuses to release his birth certificate giving people the idea he has something to hide(nope, don’t want to judge by that piece of information)…Picked Joe Biden as his running mate, 3rd most liberal in the senate, gaff a minute, wait no we don’t want to talk about change when Joes own party repeatedly dissed him for other candidates, you’d think that after 35 years his friends would see his value. Oh and wasn’t it Joe who said repeatedly that Barack wasn’t ready…oh wait we don’t want to talk about that. I guess the only reason not the vote for Hussein is because you’re a racist. Whatever you do nope, don’t ask him a question….you’ll be targeted by the gestapo….Happy voting
By har November 2, 2008 at 1:13 pm
lol you dumb coose
By BIN (The Real Thing) News Editorial Staff November 2, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Mandy, We don’t even know who you are, so why should we care what hard rock you crawled from under. Go study for the bar exam. Three or four more tries and you might even pass it. Then you can get a real job. Or be a lawyer.
BIN (The Real Thing) News Editorial Staff
By Ascot Wearers Suck November 2, 2008 at 4:00 pm
If Jeffrey Sewell had a clue, he would pick up on Obama’s sarcasm in that comment… and the fact that the crowd laughed in the background of the video.
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