The Cosmopolitan Blog

Well, what a morning! I’m preparing breakfast and watching CNN as i do most Saturdays, and it’s just 1 bad breaking news after another: an American tourist is killed in Beijing, a bus-load of kids is killed in Texas, the Russians have invaded neighboring Georgia, Bernie Mac dies at 50 (totally didn’t see that one coming!) and John Edwards confesses to having an affair based on an investigation from the National Enquirer!

Um, hold up, can we spend some time on that last one please? The National Enquirer????? Since when do celebrities confess to something uncovered in the worst of the worst gossip rags? lol, ok, i’m over that one now.

I have to say though, I am SO tired of us getting shocked and exhasperated everytime it turns out that a politician has had an affair. You’d think after the 3rd one, we’d get bored, wouldn’t you? I mean, seriously, we got the mother-load with Bill Clinton, you’d think anyone after that was just inconsequential, no? Why does this stuff still make the headlines at the same level as a bus-load of kids killed in a bus crash?

Ok, look, i work in marketing, and one of the things you do in marketing is identify trends. And i think it’s safe to say, that, over the years, the trend seems to be that politicians are just like the rest of us, ALL OF THEM. Why do we we think that, just because they’ve chosen to be our representatives in government, they will be exempt from such temptations?

And i know many disagree with this, but, ok, so the man was having marital issues and strayed. Does this now annul everything he’s done in his political career? Hearing the anchors this morning, this will RUIN his career. Why? I mean, it’s our own fault if we thought he was THAT saintly that he was above human temptation, because then we’re only gonna hurt ourselves when we find out he isn’t.

And you know what, i’d much rather know that he’s human, because then i can relate to him a lot better. And if his vice is cheating on his wife, that makes him a normal red-blooded male, who, it’s good to know, is interested in women, which beats the alternative of us finding out he’s molested a child or raped a teenager, yes?

So let’s get some perspective here, people. John Edwards is still the same John Edwards some of you supported all these years and hoped would make the White House. He’s the same man, with the same dedication to his country. But, for reasons that we will never know, his marriage was going through troubles and he screwed up. It happens. Don’t read into it, this doesn’t allow you to predict whether or not he’d screw up in his career, we don’t know that, he could very well screw up in his career without having an affair.

UGH, this is a very frustrating morning, maybe i’ll just go back to bed. And, um, seriously? Bernie Mac passed away?? Now that’s sucky, he was so funny!!!

So, let’s assume, for a second, that Barak Obama becomes the democratic nominee for the US presidency. It’s pretty clear that’s he’s nearly there, so it’s a safe assumption. But now, the question is, who will be his running mate? The thing is, I believe this is a question he should address soon, because if he plays his cards right, his running mate could have a really great following that he would then benefit from.

So. His choices. Well, Hillary would be one. That would be the perfect ticket, right? The thing is, i strongly believe that their policies are actually very different (some even say Hillary is closer on her policy to McCain is certain ways), so i don’t see how they could see such a partnership, it would confuse the message, i mean, they would then have to decide, well, which policy on healthcare, which policy on environment do we pick?

Option 2: John Edwards. He just endorsed Obama, so it would be a safe assumption. He would bring the white male vote (and young female vote) to the ticket, that could be useful. Problem is, i think he’s pretty much said, he wouldn’t want to be on a ticket as VP again, he’s been there, done that. (Having said that, he also said he wasn’t ready to endorse anyone, 24 hours before he endorsed Obama).

So, yesterday, around our weekly family dinner table, this idea came up, and i think it’s a very viable one. What about Nancy Pelosi for vice-president? It’s like combining the above 2 options. She has policies that are close to those of Obama and John Edwards, AND she’s a white woman, so she could potentially appease all those Hillary supporters who will feel snubbed, and who are, apparently, considering voting for McCain if Hillary’s not an option. I think Nancy Pelosi, as the speaker of the house (3rd highest position after President and VP) brings experience, contacts, and more than that, her personality is a lot better fit, i believe. Hillary, i’ve always found, has a self-centeredness and selfishness about her, she is power hungry and can be ruthless. Nancy does give that impression, and if i can allow myself to be an idealist for a second, she makes me believe that she would have the health of the country in mind with everything she does.

So it struck me today, as I watched CNN pretty much all morning… In the Republican party, the choice is now down to McCain versus Huckabee, right? (Although some would argue, the race is pretty much already won by McCain)… But lets say, for 1 second, that there is a still a choice.

I’ve been listening to their rhetoric this morning and I realize, the choice is really depressing. Either you go with McCain, who is a lot more middle of the road on many issues (that’s his plus point in my eyes) such as economy and immigration, but whose only interest, you can tell from his ads, is to be commander in chief and fight an even stronger “war on terror” by invading Iran and probably North Korea next. OR you go with Huckabee who is not so gung-ho on invading the world, but on the other hand, is determined to bring his faith into everything he does, as I saw him this morning, preaching in the church Jerry Falwell used to.

I am so glad I am not someone who has to make the choice between a military president and a religious president! But then, who knows? Maybe these ideals are what makes a republican? But can you just imagine if, as i think it may go, McCain becomes president and Huckabee becomes Vice-President?? …and we thought we had it bad with George W. Bush! Hang on America, you’re in for a rough ride!

This is really not helping the general US ego. They already think that the world revolves around them, and now, what sucks is that the world does actually revolve around the US. The way they talk about the elections (ok, granted, i’m in Canada, it’s hardly very far away) on TV, you’d think it was everyone’s elections. I haven’t met someone who doesn’t know about Hillary and Barack. The republican race may be less known across the planet however, since the candidates haven’t yet been raised to celebrity status. Speaking of celebrities, i just heard that Fred Thompson (actor from Law and Order, that’s how i know him, anyway), just announced that he was dropping out of the race.

Last time around (2004), it was already bad enough, everywhere we looked there was a debate between Kerry and Bush, but at least, i feel like we were spared the primaries. And sure, in 2000, well, we all know that Bush rigged the votes and Al Gore should have been president, so, again, that had our attention.

But the primaries? Really? Seriously? We have to get involved this early in the process? It’s not, you realize, until this time next year, that the next president is sworn in… I heard on CNN that, during the New Hampshire primary, one of the voters expressed the fact that he wouldn’t vote, because he’s already so over it, and it’s overkill, he doesn’t want to go out and vote, so a bit of a backlash there.

I supposed the good news is, the more we spend time talking about the future president, the less W. is getting facetime… Which might explain why he hasn’t been feeling the love recently, and decided to give every US citizen and $800 tax rebate in the form of a check in their mailbox… Can someone say blackmail? Hey, W! You got a reputation and historical legacy you’re trying to salvage?

The thing is, like it or not, you gotta care. Like it or not, the news of possible US recession just sent the markets reeling this past week. The few shares I follow have hit rock bottom, and one’s not even in the US and is in one of the most stable industries you can get!

So, then, I ask you this. The question that’s on everyone’s lips: are Americans more racist or sexist? Are they more ready to vote for a woman or a Black man? Shame Oprah didn’t join the race, but seeing she’s Black AND she’s a woman, I think THAT, somehow is still a decade away (in my estimate) from being acceptable in such a bigotted, conservative and puritan country.

Personally, i think they’re more ready for a woman, although Barack has my Canadian vote. But here’s the truth. I honestly don’t think they’re ready for either. That is, they WILL pick either the woman or the black man, and that person will be the party’s nominee. But when it comes down to voting for the leader of the free world, my opinion is, come November 08, the Americans will chicken out, and decide not to vote for the Democrat candidate, they won’t want the woman or the Black man, and, therefore, by default, the votes will go to the Republican nominee.

So here it is: I predict that the next president of the United States will be a Republican again.

Anyway, whether you’re glued to your TV set or whether you wish the US would disappear off the face of the planet for a while, let me know what you think. There’s a new poll up (see right hand side), i hope you vote, you can select up to 5 answers.

I work in Marketing, so finding one’s niche is extremely important. And I applaud Al Gore for finding his. He found the right mix of serious and “hip” (waow, that dates me, right?) to appeal to as large an audience as possible. He mixed the in-depth understanding and reading (books, presentations…) with the entertainment aspect (concerts), and i do feel that global warming has reached an aweresness level that wasn’t there a couple years ago. Granted, this is my impression, living in North America, maybe, in Europe, things are still unchanged.

And he’s been smart. I think he has good advisors. The success didn’t go to his head, he didn’t suddenly imagine that he could conquer the country and win an election. Many people encouraged him to run, especially since this seems to be a race where everyone and their dog is interested in running, no one would criticize a man with an actual cause for running.

But he knews that his passion and his niche is elsewhere. I don’t think he will run, and good for him, he can do better as the main advocate for a cause than as a “could have been… twice!” president. But i was a little surprised actually, to find how low his ratings were as a potential candidate. Goes to show, you can be successfully pegged at one thing, but unsuccessful at others. I think Al Gore, with all his wisdom, knowledge, experience and tact, makes a great expert, but not necessarily a great president. You’d think a country would want a president that has MORE knowledge than the average Joe, more education, and more experience… But it seems, at least from the past 2 presidential terms, that the US wants a president they can relate to, someone who speaks at their level, who makes mistakes they would make, who acts like he’d be happier on a ranch or playing with toy soldiers… and giving credit were credit is due, maybe through luck, maybe through some really smart planning, George W. has achieved that, giving the average Joe a option that the Democrats hadn’t given for a long, long time.  Anyway, let me digress no further…

I want to congratulate Al Gore on winning the Nobel Peace Prize …and on finding his niche.