Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Pride and Cubicles

Well, Michael and I just watched the debate online at cnn. I missed the second one, but am definitely going to catch up on it now. This is mostly because I spent the whole debate wondering when it was that McCain became so crazy and incoherent. I disagreed with him on the first debate, but he didn't seem nuts back then. Is it just me? I didn't imagine it, right? He really did seem to be a mildly raving lunatic?

And why exactly does he keep accusing Obama of "spreading the wealth around" like that's a bad thing? I'm beginning (beginning-ha!) to suspect that McCain pals around with billionaires more than with the other 95% of the country, because I feel pretty confident that most people in the US are not opposed at all to some of those richies "spreading the wealth around."

Since I'm not a major news source, I don't feel particularly inclined to an even-handed analysis where I try to see the good in both sides' performances. Obama was great. And while I disagree with him on some pretty significant points, I couldn't help thinking, "You know, I would be kind of proud to have a President like that." I haven't been proud yet in my life of a President we've had. It was new and surprising to me.

But when McCain would start bustin' out with illogical and incoherent arguments about ___fill in the blank thing that has already been widely and roundly discredited___, I would just think, "If he gets elected, he'll be President. And then if he dies in office, Sarah Palin would be President." And then I'd feel that sort of sick desperate dread that has churned in my belly since I was first introduced to Dubya.

I think we all know by now that it would be an idle threat if I were to say I'd leave the country if McCain won -- after all, I stuck around both times Bush managed to find himself in office without being elected. It's just an idle threat. It would only serve as that extra incentive to get my PhD in record time and convince some international social justice agency to put me up in a foreign community-based job. Hell, I'd even take a foreign office cubicle. Hm... no, I take that back. I'd need a Palin Presidency to get me into a cubicle.

2 comments:

John said...

I obviously just have gay on the brain because I assumed this posting with the word "pride" was going to be about GLBTQ people. Did I mention that I'm the VP/Secretary of Dignity-Chicago now? I'm not sure quite how that happened.

Anonymous said...

No, you didn't imagine it. McCain did seem all incoherent and crazy at that debate.

The "spreading the wealth around" thing seems to be code to many people in America for "he'll take your money and give it to those evil, lazy welfare recipients" or at least that seems to be how people have interpreted it when they complain about Obama "wanting to spread the wealth around". I find this particular line of thinking interesting because it always seems to be relatively poor or working class people who are the most against it, like "don't take MY money."

Some of the stuff I've been hearing/reading people say is really disturbingly ignorant and uninformed.

But didn't you love the format of that debate? I loved how they were sitting right next to each other - the easier to argue.