A long national nightmare will soon be over

posted by The Vidiot @ 4:06 PM Permalink

And I'm not just talking about the eight years of Bush, I'm also talking about 21 months of non-stop campaigning.

I'm fatigued by it all. Eight years of badmouthing Bush, eight years of grinding my teeth whenever I'd hear his smirky little voice, eight years of looking a Cheney and wondering if the man has a soul. Not to mention the sniping and griping and general mayhem of 21 months of political infighting.

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.

I'm looking forward to next Tuesday for so many reasons. Of course, it's time to change the dialogue around here. That's a given. But I'm also expecting them to try to steal the election. I might even be a little disappointed if they didn't at least try. Just a little bit. Most of all though, a big Obama win, will, if nothing else, put those self-righteous, right-wingers in their place. That would be delicious.

On a semi-related note, I was watching Colbert the other night, and he had this Native American author on, Sherman Alexie, and he said that while John McCain has been good for the Native Americans, as a group, a huge percentage of the Native Americans are voting for Obama. When Colbert asked why, Alexie said it was because Native Americans choose what's best for the society as a whole, not just what's good for them.

I mention Alexie, not because I necessarily endorse Obama or think he's what's best for the world, but rather, it's the general thought process that moves me to mention it. Why shouldn't we think of and do what's best for the community, rather than what's best for us? When did we all become so narcissistic? When did we lose our connection to the past and when did we forget that what we do now connects us to the future?

Sometimes, I like to put it all in perspective and I go to Shorpy.com to look at pictures from 100 years ago. There was one from today, of a bunch of orphan girls from 1924, sitting outside in the sun with their lollipops, giggling away. Look at their happy little faces. Now, realize, that if they're still alive today, they're well into their 90s. They lived their lives, that was then. That was their 'now'. Now, think of the nearly endless stream of people, all 10-year olds at one point in time, and everything that they did throughout their lives, no matter how minuscule, and how it was important to them at that moment, and how what they did connected them to today and beyond. We are all part of this vast river of humanity, we are not islands unto ourselves and we should stop acting like we are.

If you feel that voting is important, by all means, get out there next Tuesday and vote. But don't vote for the guy who gives you what you want. Don't vote for the guy who tells you what you want to hear. Make sure that when you pull that lever, or poke that hole, or touch that screen, that you do it with the full knowledge that what you do connects you to tomorrow and beyond and your choice should reflect that. You should choose the person who will steer this ship in the direction you think is best for society, not just best for you. If you sincerely believe that McCain/Palin are the folks to do it, then by all means, vote for them. If you think Obama/Biden is the ticket, then do it. If you believe voting is immoral, then don't vote.

But please, just try to be conscious.

Labels: 2008 election