+1 Blog of Rants and Opinions

Knock The Vote

Back when I turned 18 in 2000 and registered to vote for the first time, I had no idea that I would be as...jaded (is this the word I'm looking for here) toward the election process. Even back when my voting decisions were influenced by my grandparents and they made a habit of mocking campaign ads on television, I didn't think some negativity about the candidates would put me in the mind state that I've spent the last few months in. After eliminating "bitterness concerning the candidates I've voted for" and "expecting candidate X from Y for office Z to be a near-perfect person" as possible reasons, the conclusion that I've arrived at is that the presidential candidates and the scandals plaguing them are simply laughable when not outright scary.

What do I mean by that? Well, let's take the news that yet another high-ranking Republican was revealed to be a fag. Incrementing the "outed gay Republicans" counter by one isn't as amusing as the fact that the people this guy runs with happen to not really like gays. What I find laughable about this is that it comes after Palin being picked as McCain's VP and everyone who's paid enough attention knows that she's been endorsed by Focus on the Family some bunch of far-right crazies. If it weren't for the fact that I don't believe these bastards actually know biblical morality beyond anything that can be used to whip up sexual panics, I'd be flabbergasted that McCain still hasn't proven himself to be 'maverick' enough to renounce his support for amnesty. Not even when the economy is definitely under pressure to the point of calling off his campaign for it.

While I'm sure Obama was supposed to be some great inspirational black figure back when the primaries were the next big event, that's all but gone for me now. Though I didn't care about the "radical black preacher" crap from earlier this year, this whole connection-to-a-terrorrist thing represents a new low. It's a low that may very well cast unfair suspicion toward any future black presidential candidates all because Obama didn't have the sense to consider this before taking that first direct step toward being the Democrats' choice for president. As for Biden, all my lazy ass needs to know about him for now is that he has given us proof that men and women will not be treated equally under law - otherwise know as VAWA. Apparently it's okay to have mandatory minimums for drug use, very harsh sentences against men who batter women, and women receiving lighter sentences for violent crime, yet we need an unconstitutional law that serves as proof that equality is not what's really being sought?

I may just be unnecessarily negative about all this, and I do realize that some people in the past have risked a lot for people like me to be able to vote. Unfortunately, I fear they must be turning in their graves if not cursing us from purgatory for selecting lunatics to run for the highest and most important office in the country. Far from the 'hope' Obama tries so hard to symbolize, I hope looking back on this election, I'll wonder why I didn't beg a few yaoi fangirls to make Ted Haggard x Karl Rove (for lack of a better couple) doujins and mass mail the damned things to every Republican official everytime one of them is outed. After hoping I never see said doujins in my life, I'll wonder if the public gets the irony of thinking anime is a fad for kids and losers when the two women that have captured so much attention are essentially a meganekko and a tsundere even though those words will never be used to describe them in mainstream discussion. It sure would beat memories of a massive economic breakdown and catastrophic war against half of the Middle East going hand in hand. That and I wouldn't feel so...dirty knowing that October 4 sticks more in my mind as the day that the first Tales of the Abyss animation episode will be out rather than the last day to register to vote according to a volunteer that I met on the way to work a few days ago.

Given a choice between rolling on the floor and laughing at the election proceedings and deciding who to vote for as the next President of the United States, I'm heavily inclined toward the former, since McCain and Obama just haven't convinced me enough that either of them are deserving of my vote, let alone that election politics is actually about trying to do what's best for the country and not just being a ruse meant to deceive the common voter.

Labels: anime, politics, posted in windows

posted by el-chozo-loco @ 6:00 AM