The week I started this blog, way way back in the foggy memory that is 2004, two very important things happened to be in Boston. Me and the Democratic National Convention. As I lived in the North End – which is a hop, skip and a flip-flop away from the Boston Garden – our neighborhood was abuzz and I remember paying particularly close attention to the goings on. The way I remember it, there were three big questions on everyone’s mind:
- Why is Ben Affleck speaking at the DNC?
- Will Ben Affleck nail either or both of John Kerry’s daughters?
- Who the hell is this Barack Obama guy?
It is astounding to think that in the 4 years since that painful week (you try traversing 14 different protests a morning on your walk to work,) Barack has become the figurehead of the Democratic party – nay, the hopes and dreams of the free world – and he didn’t really have to do… anything.
I recently took part in a demo for a proposed pop culture radio show I have been asked to participate in up here. It will/would be on the Canadian CBC network (which I love and listen to in my car everyday) and I was contacted as a result of a producer finding this very blog. As I have become such a fan in the year since I moved up North I was flattered and completely up for it. My rampant narcissism didn’t hold me back either. After some back and forth we decided the topic for the show would be the help/hindrance of celebrity endorsement on both sides of the fence as the Paris Hilton video response to McCain’s ad had just popped up and was all the rage.
Long story short, as I have a daunting mountain of real work to get through this week, the host at one point asked me – “Don’t you want to see the candidate with the most support voted into the White House?” To which I replied something along the lines of absolutely not! Do I want my new President to be elected because an untalented hack from Fall Out Boy was photographed at a club wearing his face on a T-shirt? Shall I ignore my concerns about Obama’s national defense intentions and experience fall by the way side because videos of a large-breasted siren singing his praises have gone viral on YouTube?
The man has support, all right. Staggering support. But it’s been whipped up in all the wrong ways by all the wrong people. I would like to (and have been in person) challenging people to tell me a few – Jesus, any – reasons they support or plan to vote for Barack Obama. And none of them can. That frightens me, and it doesn’t have anything to do with age, race, smoking or number of Sennett terms. “I think we need a change” is not going to cut it with me, and if these scribblings give one mindlessly (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) pro-Obama person pause for thought, I’ll be happy.
A person should be elected for President based on who he/she is, and not who he/she isn’t. This is no time in human history to propel an individual into the Presidency because they’re a fad. I’d sooner a hula hoop or a Pet Rock got elected. Feel free to hammer me for my shocking thoughts on Mr. Obama, and I hope you do. It needs to be discussed.
That CBC Radio Show thing sounds really cool.. I assume if you can get it on stream you’ll post the links here.
Good Luck with that.
As to the rest of your post…..
WOWWWWW! -{ face/palm }-
I’m going to leave it at that & wish you the best.
A friend of mine that is pregnant, had it suggested to her she name her baby Obama because the baby is due in November, and that’s when Obama will be making history….Sean, if I may…..WOWWWW -{face/palm}- I am very worried this man will be elected based on the fact it will “make history” and not that he is the right man for the job. I could care less what color he is, what religion he is, or whatever the hell else he is, other than the fact he is NOT qualifid to be the leader of the free world. Listen potential young democrats, YOU ARE BEING MANIPULATED. What does Obama stand for other than he’s not George Bush? No, you can not say change. Oh, and as an aside, there will be change in the White House this Novemeber regardless. So, to close, I don’t care what clebrities on either side think about either candidate. I can make up my own mind thank you very much.
Whenever I start to wonder who still reads my blog – all I have to do is start a’ talkin’ bout the politics.
People need to start realizing we are at war and on the verge of WWIII… this isn’t fricken student council.
As a Canadian, I’ll pretend that my opinion counts, and weigh in…Lord help me 🙂 Why aren’t the Obama supporters holding their own in this debate with you, Dave? My guess is that you’re an awesome debater and could likely win a “the sky is green” argument with most of the population at large. (Take the compliment…no backhand.) But, I also know you’d concede any valid points, so let’s see how I do.
I like Obama for a couple of main reasons. First of all, he wants the troops out of Iraq and redirected to Afghanistan. I agree with this strategy, as I don’t believe the Americans can hope to remedy their mistaken invasion by taking further military action. It’s a bit like trying to cure a burn with fire.
Secondly, I appreciate the vibe of fairness and maturity he has brought to his campaign. Ironically, the younger candidate is showing himself to be the “adult” by not making dismissive comments about his opponent. McCain’s tactics remind me of those used in the schoolyard by ten year old girls. Especially the way he and his campaign team have used the word “celebrity” with such sour disdain, you’d think they were sucking on alum lollipops. Sadly, this tactic is proving to be effective. McCain is every bit as much a celebrity in the USA as Obama, in so much as he is as well known. The only difference is that Obama has generated more excitement than him. If the Anerican public decides to get sidetracked by the fact that Scarlett Johansen is touting him…yeah, that’s stupid, but for McCAIN to legitimize that stupidity by thinking it’s a valid subject for a campaign add…that’s stupid too. What a waste of time that could be spend discussing the real issues.
Comparing Obama to a pet rock effectively negates his very real achievements and merits. It’s also a short cut to actual thought, in the same way that folksy sayings and addages are. Every clever saying has an equally (yet oximoronically) true opposite. Metaphors are just empty spin.
By the way, I just counted at least 2 or 3 metaphors in my own posting above. If I ever run for office, I promise not to use them in my campaign 😉