Politics, Schmolitics

I haven't blogged for quite a while. One of the reasons is that most of my free time has been spent reading, watching, and otherwise ingesting anything I can get my hands on that has to do with the presidential primaries. I have tried to refrain from discussing politics simply because I know it can be a very touchy subject. But since I have often discussed religion (the other topic you don't talk about), I figure "what harm can come from it."

So here are some things that I have been thinking about regarding the campaigns so far:

On the Republican side; I have to hand it to Mike Huckabee. Even thought he knew that there was a better chance of water turning to wine...wait, he's a baptist...water turning to grape juice, He stayed in the race in order to...I think there was a point to him staying in the race. I mean, he ended the race with less delegates than Willard "Mit" Romney, and Romney dropped out nearly a month sooner. Well whatever the point was, Huckabee was dedicated to it and saw it through until John McCain had enough delegates to secure the nomination.

Speaking of Senator McCain; I can't figure out while Republicans don't like this guy. He represents everything that is the Republican party: old, rich, white, angry, male. Oh, and he is the biggest war hawk in the race. If I was old, rich, and angry, I might even consider him myself.

Ok, on to the Democrats; I definitely lean to the left. I have never voted for a Republican, but I try to remain open-minded enough to at least consider the candidate regardless of their party affiliation, and thus consider myself an independent. However, I am frustrated with the Democrats. The campaigns have been mud-slinging, finger-pointing, and out right lying throughout the process. Ultimately, they are just providing the GOP with enough ammo to get them through the first few months of the post-nomination run up to November.

Let me talk about Senator Clinton; She is a really good legislator. She has worked diligently on many projects and has the type of personality suited to creating and formalizing laws. However, she does not have the executive experience that is necessary to lead our nation. She cites the experience gained from her time in the White House as First Lady as bona fide experience. However, when she does this, she focuses only on the positive aspects of former President Clinton's tenure. For example, NAFTA was initiated under Bill Clinton's presidency. This is the trade agreement with Mexico and Canada that allowed hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of jobs to leave the United States to move across the borders (in order to save money for the company at the expense of US employees). NAFTA is something she tries to distance herself from. All in all, Senator Clinton does not have much more experience than her opposition, Senator Obama.

Speaking of Obama; I won't lie, the man is inspirational. He is able to give me something I have not had regarding our government in a very long time: HOPE. However, hope alone will not help the economy rebound, hope alone will not fix our broken health system, hope alone will not secure our borders or bring jobs back to the US. But hope does gather people, it inspires people, it motivates people. Senator Obama is known for his ability to unite people from both sides of the parties. He was able to pass bi-partisan ethics reform when no one wanted to tackle that subject.

Finally, let me add something about email rumors. If you believe emails simply because someone you know sent it to you, you are not helping anyone. You may as well believe the tabloid newspapers at the grocery store that predict the end of the world, or that bat-boy was seen in a Missouri town. The credibility of forwarded emails is terribly lacking. Do everyone (including yourself) a favor and fact check emails before blindly mass emailing people. Use Snopes or a credible news source to verify the info.

Let me defend the candidates a bit: McCain is not the father of an illegitimate black child, but is the adopted father of a Bangladeshi born daughter. He is a respected war-hero and dedicated public servant.

Barack Obama is not a Muslim, no matter how many emails your aunt sends you. He is a Christian. He is not unpatriotic, no matter how many pictures are taken out of context. He selflessly serves this country.

Hillary Clinton is not a cyborg that runs on the energy created from burning puppies. It is simply not true. She is, however, a gifted organizer and determined change-agent.

I will post more on each candidate as time allows. As for now, go delete some of those emails you have been thinking about sending.