The Cosmopolitan Blog

Until recently, i’ve observed and discussed every event in the US presidential race. A few days ago, i quit and said i was so turned off by this race and wouldn’t comment again. I was extremely angry then. Now that i’m calmer, i will say this. There are some 16 days left to the election.

I will no longer comment on every little petty thing that happens, amongst supporters or candidates. I will take a page from Obama’s book: if he was true enough to halt his campaign, for 2 days, to go visit his ailing grandmother, it shows me that he has perspective and knows his priorities in life. Yes, the presidency is the most important thing in his life right now, but it’s still not as important as family. He showed that before, when he refused to get involved with anything relating to candidate children, all the while Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin (and even, reluctantly, Joe Biden) were talking about their kids in the army.

So, taking this page from his book, i will stay quiet on all pettiness on the campaign trail (and trust me, EVERYTHING is pettiness at this point, everyone’s just grasping at straws), but I will express my innermost thoughts about the impact of this race on the world, our entire world, my world. That’s my pledge for the next 2 weeks.

This is fun. CNN and Facebook have joined forced so you can create a political badge. You get to actually pick your top 3 issues, and then, answer some questions about those issues, so that you can see where you stand on the political spectrum.

See my CNN / Facebook politcal badge

The day Joe the Plumber came on the scene, was the day i gave up on Americans and American politics. Obama wants to help the underprivileged. If in your book, that’s un-American, then you have bigger issues. Yes, Joe the Plumber, the American Dream IS about earning all you can earn, but it’s not about stepping on the little person to do so.

Obama “spreading the wealth” does NOT mean he will steal from the rich to give to the poor, it just means that he’s giving tax breaks to those who are not earning as much. Since when is this wrong? This does not make him a socialist. Not in the way republicans are using the word. It’s fear-mongering, plain and simple, they want the word socialist to trigger thoughts of communism.

Socialism is NOT equal to communism. It’s not evil. It doesn’t mean the Russians are coming. Get over it already!

Oh, and speaking of socialism. If Barack Obama is a socialist because he wants to bail out the under-privileged, then um, didn’t McCain encourage a $700 billion bailout? I’d say that’s socialism on steroids, isn’t it?

Americans respond to keywords that send shivers down their spines: terrorism, islam, socialism, communism… Americans like it when things are black and white in front of them, they like to be told who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. 50 years ago, Russians were bad. Now, the bad guys are… well, the axis of evil. Until the president decides that one country is no longer on this axis. Do you realize how simplistic this is?

The American public is always being talked down to. The world used to look from afar and smile condescendingly. Now we look and we’re scared, cuz you’re about to make the biggest mistake of your life.

I’m done people. I quit politics. Let’s wake up, November 5th, and see what mess you’ve put us in, America.

I’m tired. I’ve tuned out. It’s official. We’re acting like it’s politics as usual. We have parties that spin stuff so that they can get ahead. But this is not just about electing a president of the US anymore, why can’t anyone get this?

The world awaits, holding our breath, because the US has such a presence on the world stage, so the result of this election will affect the entire world. But the entire world’s fate rests on a bunch of people who think that helping the poor is a bad thing and that Sarah Palin is a role model. If you knew how ridiculous this looked, from the other side of the looking glass, you’d be shocked. Americans are so caught up with the politics and the spinning, they have no idea how serious this issue is.

I’m so fed up today that i’m angry. I don’t think America deserves Obama. If you can’t see that he’s the only viable solution, beyond the lies, beyond the bull, that the only solution is electing Obama, then seriously, you don’t deserve him. This will be your downfall America!

Part 2 of my effort at fairness, looking at the serious criticism of Obama’s campaign (and of Obama himself).

Issue 2: The ACORN Issue

Arguably, this is a more serious issue than the Ayers issue, I think that was acknowledged by all parties.

1. CLAIM: ACORN has created fake voter registrations by using fake names: for example names of people who are actually deceased, even the name Jimmy Johns, the name of a restaurant where no actual Jimmy Johns worked at, they even created fake registrations for the entire Dallas Cowboys football team. Since Obama is linked to this firm in some way, and since 1+1=3, Obama is rigging the election.
2. FACTS:
   • ACORN has been under investigation for over four years
   • ACORN has created over 5,000 fake voter registrations in at least 6 states and continued to do so until a few days ago when it became a national issue
   • Obama’s campaign used ACORN’s services (it was actually a subsidiary, but fine, let’s simplify) during the primary campaign to register voters at a fee of $800,000.
   • ACORN endorsed Obama for president
3. CONCLUSIONS:
   • Obama used the services of a firm under investigation: YES
   • Should he have? NO
   • Would it have affected the outcome of the primaries NO the number of registrations was a few thousand, Obama won by much more
   • Does it make a difference that ACORN endorsed him? NOT REMOTELY, do you know how many companies endorse each candidate, 1/2 the time without the candidates even knowing it?
   • Will this affect this election? NO, since a. they’ve been caught, b. all registrations (fake or non) coming from them have been pulled, c. this was not actual votes, it was registrations for new voters to be able to vote

COSMOCHICK’S RANT:

While I think this is a more serious issue than Ayers, because Obama’s campaign is to blame for having hired a firm under investigation, the consequences of his actions are, well, non-consequential. Again, this is a political tactic. McCain is trying to put doubts in voters minds by lining up a bunch of things that will make you question his judgment. What McCain doesn’t tell you is that he’s done just as bad, that it’s all part of the game of politics, and that even HE (McCain) doesn’t think this are big deal issues, he’s just grabbing at straws.

However, if you feel that your trust in Obama has gone because a guy who bombed the Pentagon organized a meeting to launch Obama’s campaign, and because he used the services of a firm under investigation, then you have the right to feel that way. That means McCain’s argument was persuasive. And i can’t fault you for this.

What I will say though, is don’t imagine ANYTHING here is black or white (and I’m not talking about the candidates’ skin colors). If you think there’s doubt to be cast on Obama’s campaign practices, then you should know there are is just as much to be cast on McCain? Why? Am i saying this because I’m bitter? No. I’m as calm as i can be when i tell you: it’s the name of the game, politics. You do what you can do to get ahead. You say what you can say.You promise what you need to promise. And if you think McCain is any better, because he seems nice, because he seems approachable, because he could be your next door neighbor, because you can relate to him, because he doesn’t flash a Harvard education around… then think again. He might very well be all of these things, but he’s not become a presidential nominee by being a nice guy, trust me.

And you know what? In 2000 and 2004, we elected and re-elected a guy that seemed nice and approachable. Look where that got us. *sigh* I feel a new post topic coming on whether a POTUS should be just like us… Stay tuned.