Tuesday, June 5, 2007

What good is a cynic with no better plan?

Anyone watch the Democratic debate on Sunday night?

Yeah, me either. It was during the Sopranos, after all. More on those crazy gangsters another time.

Even though I didn't, you know, watch them, I have caught most of the debate action on YouTube, and the massive amount of commentaries done since then and I have a few comments of my own.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again (and again). I truly believe that Barak Obama is just an eeensy bit full of shit. For all this rockstar cred that just magically fell into his lap, I have seen very little actually backing it up.

Now, I'm a big fan of nicknames, so please know that when I refer to him as yOmama, it’s out of love for the Party, not hate for the dude. I really do think he's a good guy. A good Senator. A good basketball player. A great father, I would imagine. Just not the best person to be the next President of the United States.

Why, you ask?

Well, I'd be happy to oblige.

First, and probably on the average voters' minds the most, is the Iraqi War. yOmama insists on saying, over and over again, that he has been against the War from the start. Yet, he was not even elected to Congress until 2004. It’s a pretty easy place to be sitting when every other candidate in the race, save Dennis Kucinich, either voted for it or wasn't in Congress. I mean, I don't know how much foreign policy was being hashed out in the Illinois State Senate. Just sayin'.

Next, he said this really annoying thing about immigration on CNN one day. I can't find that exact interview, but here's him explaining his stance at a town hall meeting. http://youtube.com/watch?v=wxZdEJdh8ss

Now, you may be tricked. That's my whole problem with yOmama. He's a great public speaker, and he is brilliant at presenting his views in a way that hides his actual intentions. He starts out by saying that immigrants are extremely important, that virtually every American is an immigrant unless they're Native, blahblaahblaaaaah.

This all sounds great.

Empowering!

But wait for step 3.

That's when he explains that he is most certainly not for amnesty, and illegal immigrants that want to start on the "path" to being a legal citizen will have to pay fines, learn English, and wait close to ten years before being legal.

What, Mr. Senator, are they to do until then?

Now, there are other issues, certainly. The gay thing is sticky (heh.) because none of the candidates are where I'd like them to be. But, when he says, "I personally believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. But I also agree with most Americans, including Vice President Cheney and over 2,000 religious leaders of all different beliefs, that decisions about marriage should be left to the states as they always have been," it makes me laugh in my head. Leave it to the states? What, you're a Republican now? Convenient time to believe in states' rights...

My point is this. I feel like Obama gets this eternal free pass as the most liberal legitimate candidate, and I just don't think this is true.

None of the candidates are left enough for me (at least the ones that have a chance of getting nominated), but Obama has this knack of agreeing with whomever he is speaking to.

I don't want a yes-person.

I don't want someone who figured out the trick to the game.

I want a genuine person whose ideas will change the way that politics are being played in this country.

Is that really too much to ask?

2 comments:

wandology said...

I watched the dabates
and the pre debates. and the post debates.
well, while doing other stuff.
and I kind of like that sassy clinton.
but I am not making any choices as of now. I think I shall keep my ears and heart open for now.

ChangeAgent said...

I like to call her RoddyClint.

You know, separate her from the crowd.

I think she's the bees knees.