Saturday, June 16, 2007
My Open Letter to Obamamaniacs
So, John Edwards hovers in third place (fourth, if you count Gore), my friends make fun of my steadfast support of him, and the homophobic, feminizing pretty-boy-with-an-expensive-haircut storyline continues to interest the press and the electorate more than the fact that he's a for-real anti-war candidate, despises Bush's tax cuts, wants meaningful universal health-care, has some interest in alleviating poverty, and has pissed off the Democratic establishment for, I suppose, being an individual. Now, I'm no fool--or I might be, but not for the reasons you think. I understand how amazing it is that the Democratic front-runners are a woman and a person of color respectively. And given the viability of their campaigns and the merits of their candidacies, what possible justification is there for voting in another rich, white guy? I get it.
But with Obama's campaign--not some Swiftboaters front group, mind you, but his motherfucking campaign-- peddling in this kind of shit, I ask you, how is someone like me--a South Asian of Punjabi heritage--how is he to bring himself to cast a vote for Obama? Now, or ever.
Well, you might say that's politics in post-Rovian America. But the next time you feel like annointing this guy the messiah, shut your face. The Obama who made his name channeling John Kennedy at the 2004 convention (see above) is dead. Congratulations on what's left in his place.
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5 comments:
dude, i never made fun of you for your penchant for edwards. i mostly just ignored you.
but yes, edwards has a compelling message and one that i think is egregiously ignored by the dems (bc, let's face it, we never expected the republicans to pay attention to poverty in the first place). nonetheless, the dude's a mixed bag. everyone says the dems have a better crop of candidates overall, but i dunno. each one has an achilles heel: edwards and his wealth, obama and his lack of experience and hilary and the fact she's not bill.
I hear you, E. I'm of the you go to the election with the candidates you have, not the candidates you wish to have mindset.
As for Achiles' Heels, I don't know. This all goes to electability, and I gave up on trying to figure that stuff out a long time ago. George W. Bush was never electable, and people who say otherwise are revisionist fuddy-duddies. Wealth, experience, living in someone's shadow--these are things a good campaign manager knows how to minimize. I'm not talking to you, Bob Shrum.
Also, you are right. My saying "friends" (plural) implies I have friends other than you. That was wrong of me: You never made fun of me.
hmm, way to subtly correct me by adding the apostrophe. touche.
electability is a load of bull. nobody seems more presidential than joe biden, yet he also is utterly detestable.
btw, i've been too lazy to post so i'm trying to make up for it by commenting on everything. keep it comin'.
Yikes, that memo is awful. Any word on if an apology was issued? I also find it alarming that this hasn't received more media attention. I agree w/ you that Obama cannot present himself as anything new or different b/c he's employing the same Democratic party hacks with their hatchet campaign techniques. That doesn't mean I support John Edwards either.
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