Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Candidates: What? What Is Happening Here?

So, apparently, we've got four main persons now in the presidential running; Obama, Clinton, McCain and Romney. Though the adults may not realize it, those of us unable to vote still do a lot of hypothetical caucusing and hypothetical voting and hypothetical deciding over candidates, or at least we used to. Although politics rarely comes up in conversations in high school, I've found that if I ever do approach the subject somebody is bound to get all worked up about it. Enter a 6th period study hall from last semester, wherein myself and about four other people are sitting in front of half finished homework, admiring someone's tiny gold case of bad-smelling French lip balm, when some how Senator Obama came into our musings on the smelly waxy stuff:

Ranting Kid: Ugh. None of the candidates are good. Except for kinda maybe Paul. Except for the weird gold standard thing.

Other Girl: Nuh-uh! Obama's good!

RK: What about him is good?

OG: He's cool!

RK: ...Why?

OG: Cause he is!

RK : ...No, he's not.

OG (now very irate): YES, he is!

Not a very intelligent conversation, but it basically sums up my thoughts about Obama - What the heck is this guy planning and why do people like him? I've been able to glean he wants change, and has a large base of young supporters, but...but...what the heck is this guy planning? This video seems to represent most of Obama's campaign, and that is a bit disturbing. Okay, you want change. Look, mister, we all would like change. But what changes are you pushing for? HOW are you planning to bring these changes about? Why should I think you will be better at fixing these problems than anyone else running? How? Why? What? What is happening here?

Also, that video bugs me because most of the people in it are celebrities (I think...the only two people I recognized in there were Obama himself and will.i.am, and even then only because of his association with the now disbanded Black Eyed Peas) and frankly I can't see how the fact that Famous Person is voting for you will give your actual policies, which one already has to wade through a bunch of meaningless speeches to get to, any stronger/better.

As for the other candidates, there doesn't seem to be to much choice among them...it's almost as if every which way you vote, you end up with a liberal focused on health care, climate change, and Iraq. The first issue is one worth looking at, and there's nothing wrong with reducing pollution, even though I doubt is will affect the climate, and damn are things screwy in the Mid East, but WHERE ARE MY CONSERVATIVES AND WHAT ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE? What about abortion, gay marriage, immigration, (yes, I know Clinton has said a few choice words about this topic) stem cells, all the topics that the present candidates seem to be putting by the wayside? Whenever these topics are brought up, the candidates spit out a generic liberal policy and move on, at least in my limited experience. Mother person, who is a bit more cynical than I, is convinced that all the candidates are working for a world in which a rich upper class with no attachment/loyalty to the United States rules over millions of oppressed (illegal) Mexican slaves, while the middle class dies out and the country withers away. Kinda. There's a bit of exaggeration in there somewhere.

As for myself? Huh. Can...can I get a new candidate over here, please?

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