More Hope, More Change

"You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine; Just own the night, like the Fourth of July..." - Katy Perry

...Or the Sixth of November.  Why on this eve of Election Day am I posting Katy Perry lyrics instead of something political?  Well, a few reasons:

The first is that this weekend, "Firework" *became* a political song... Yes, this does bother me on some level, but right now, I'm happy to know that Katy is willing to stand up for human rights.  After all, what is "Firework" anyway but an anthem for the outcasts?  Which Presidential candidate stands for the outcasts?  It's a natural connection.  Perhaps that's why I couldn't resist going to the Katy Perry/Barack Obama rally in Milwaukee on Saturday.  It was an experience unlike any I'd ever had before... I had never seen the President speak live.  I had seen it on TV, and I skipped going to see him last time he was in town... But I'm a sucker for Katy.  I've seen her in concert, and she is an excellent performer, so I figured if I went, at the very least I would get a good musical show.

I got to the rally at 11:15am and the line already snaked around over 20 city blocks... It was still growing longer than its original end point by the time I got inside!  Better yet, everyone was very polite and kind to one another.  I helped an elderly man pick up things he dropped, but that's just who I am.  More importantly, I witnessed a woman give another person's child a muffin just because she had one.  I watched people speak to each other and laugh, acting like they had known each other for years even though they had just met.  It was an amazing display of humanity.  At final count, there were over 20,000 people who showed up... And only three Romney supporters.  Interestingly enough, the only person who the police had to deal with was one of them.  He was trying to start a fight with the people in line, but they were having none of it.

The second reason for my song choice is that Katy Perry and Barack Obama share something very special to me: They both inspire me.  Both of them came to my attention in 2008, and both had a very profound effect on me (though the effect from Katy didn't fully take hold until her second album came out in 2010).  Both of them stand for the underdog... Because both of them have BEEN the underdog, and both have risen above it to become great successes.  Katy came from a home where she wasn't even allowed to listen to secular music, and rose to become one of the most popular recording artists of a generation.  Obama came from a poor background where he was raised by a single mom, and rose to become President of the United States (but hey, the only successful parents are one man and one woman, right?  Right??).  So this really was a natural pairing.  I had read interviews with Katy in the past from when she was first getting into politics.  Keep in mind, being married as she was for a year to Russell Brand, Katy spent a lot of time in England... Seeing their health care system and human rights probably drove her to become a liberal here - Because their system works, and it will be Obama that will be our best hope for implementing that sort of thing here.  I admit I was surprised when Katy became so open about her political views, but I sadly have to admit that it was very relieving to find out an artist I love shared my views.  More on that another time.

The point I must make here is that seeing Katy and Obama together was one of the most incredibly inspiring moments of my life so far.  That's not to say the rest of the rally wasn't uplifting as well... I also got to see speeches from Tom Barrett, Herb Kohl, and Tammy Baldwin, among others I didn't know.  All of them were amazing public speakers.  I'm not a Democrat; I'm an unaffiliated liberal; but they sure know how to work a crowd!  The things they were saying simply made sense.  After these speeches came Katy, who put on a great show, even if the room was set up such that you could either see her well or hear her well but not both (the positioning of the stage vs. the speakers was atrocious).  She performed a cover song I didn't recognize, followed by "Teenage Dream," then "Part of Me."  She stopped to ask that we all donate for Hurricane Sandy relief before continuing into "Wide Awake."  Katy then went on to explain that she was voting for Obama because he believed in equal rights for everyone.  It's been no secret that the current Republican platform wants to deny human rights, and she wouldn't stand for that.  I for one agree with her completely.  She then closed out with "Firework," which as I said, is an anthem for the outcasts - The people who need Obama in office the most.

Then came the President.  The modern, science-following, human-rights-supporting, education-valuing President.  He didn't come out to "Hail to the Chief," he came out to rock music.  He then spoke for about half an hour about his plan for the country, and how his goal is to be more like Bill Clinton.  He spoke about gay rights, and women's rights, and how politicians should have no say in these things.  He spoke about college and how it was too expensive, about how he believes in science and wants it to move forward.  It was brought up earlier in the rally that Wisconsin's motto was already "Forward," and that matches with his vision.  He said how he didn't want to screw over a middle class family just so that he could give himself a tax cut.  But most importantly to me?  Obama pointed out what I've been saying for a long time: The current political climate is designed to make people tired... Most politicians want to retain the status quo, and just make the general populace no longer care.  But he doesn't want that.  He outright said he'd work with Republicans who are willing to work with him, and has dealt with Democrats that have been roadblocks to progress as well.  He said partisan politics was stupid and tiring and he didn't like it either.  Near the end, I managed to get up to a guard railing and get about ten feet away from him as he left.  I didn't actually get to shake his hand (though some people did), but it was still a very chilling and powerful moment.  Will anything he said actually come to pass?  I say yes, because a lot of what he promised already has.

The third and final reason I opened this post with "Firework?"  Because we need to light up the voting booths tomorrow.  Liberals are passionate, but conservatives tend to vote in greater numbers.  If we want to win this thing, every single liberal or left-leaning moderate is going to need to vote.  The election is close, and facts are not playing a very prominent role in it.  So please, go out and vote, and I hope you vote for Obama.  While he's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, he's the best option that we've got right now, and I do think he's a fairly honest and decent man.  He's not the typical politician... While some of his decisions were not great, at least I can see the logic he used to make them.  I for one still believe in him.

Obama promised change, and he delivered.  Granted, it wasn't as much as we had hoped (yet), but it did in fact happen.  As I said, I don't agree with everything the man has done, but at least he's been trying.  That's more than I can say for most politicians, and I for one would vote for Obama tomorrow if I could.  But I can't, because I already did it last week.  Like many other liberals, I took the initiative and voted early. Now it's your turn.  I probably sound like I'm pandering by this point, but please, when you vote tomorrow (if you didn't already), consider your options... I believe Barack Obama should be given the chance to finish what he has started.  I hope you believe this as well.

Be a Firework tomorrow - GO AND VOTE!

Discourse is Dead.  Long Live Discourse.

"You and me will all go down in history, with a sad Statue of Liberty, and a generation that didn't agree..." - System of a Down

I am too young to remember a time when both sides of the political isle in America could agree on anything.  As if that isn't sad enough, it's gotten worse in every election since I've been paying attention.  In 2000, I was only 17.  My birthday was about a month after Election Day, so I couldn't vote, but for some reason I still paid attention.  I wore a "Go Al" sticker on my shirt which I made myself.  I was met with constant belittlement and disappointment, even from teachers.  Only one teacher asked me, "Can you vote?"  I replied, "No, I can't - I'm only 17."  He was wholly disheartened by this.

It only got worse in 2004.  In fact, for all of Dubya's presidency, I was constantly told to shut my mouth.  "He's the President," they would tell me, "and we do not question the President."  I find it funny how these same people now scream from the mountaintops about how much they hate Obama.  I was going to specify the Appalachian Mountains, but I feel that's unfair to hillbillies.  They're not as racist as the Tea Party.

I think that's all it boils down to, really - just race.  I can't fathom anything else that would cause people to act this way.  You'd have to be brain damaged in order to actually believe anything Mitt Romney says.  He's been caught on tape making totally contradictory statements from week to week.  I mean, it's horrible, but at least racism would make sense.  It's a real thing and a real problem and it would explain why people so detest a man like Barack Obama who has done everything in his power to help them.

I continue to feel isolated wherever I go.  I live in a very conservative area, and it seems to me that conservatives are far more outspoken.  I was recently visiting longtime friends, and all I heard is how Obama was poisoning America.  About 20 minutes into the rant, the question came up, "Are you a Democrat or Republican?"  My answer to this was no lie, "I am an Independent."  Then the raving continued, never giving me a moment to get a word in edgewise.  It is like that wherever I go... I would try to debate, but I just typically give up, because the people are far too intense for my taste.  I'm not going to be able to change their minds anyway.

I've also recently been told about how Romney's plan will save me money and get me better jobs and so on and so forth.  Well, I'm doing far better under Obama than I ever did under Dubya or would've under McCain.  I also lived for 3 years without healthcare.  While it's a bit late for me, I fully support ObamaCare. Or wait, was that RomneyCare?  Republicans: Facts are not based on faith.  Facts are facts, and you cannot change them.  History happened, and no matter how much you want to claim that Ronald Reagan was your demigod, he was actually a moderate.

I know people are always going to disagree, but you should not base your beliefs on a complete lie.  Yet that is what keeps happening.  Sure, it's true, the Democrats do it too... But the Republican lies are pretty much right there on tape.  Look at the Paul Ryan thing; he essentially breaks into a soup kitchen just for a photo op?  Tea Party nuts are terrified of a black man, yet *they* are the ones breaking and entering!  That's sickening.  The worst part though, is that the Republican base not only believes the lies, but they shout them in everyone else's faces!  It seems like all they are interested in doing these days is talking out of their asses about stuff they do not even understand in the first place.

I do have a few moderate or slightly more conservative friends who are willing to engage in civil discourse.  This is refreshing.  They have valid enough points and are willing to meet halfway.  I give them a lot of credit.  More often than not, however, I am chastised for even having a differing opinion.  Typically most people will just shout in my face that I do not understand anything... Usually these are over-privileged rich people who have no idea what I've gone through in life (though I'm not even really that bad off).  Why would you presume to know me, let alone what I should think?  Because their leaders told them so?  Are they really that incapable of thinking for themselves?  On a side note, I find it funny the way Obama dishes it back out at these people.  He does reach across the aisle all the time, but when called for, he's not afraid to trade blows.  Republicans don't seem to be able to handle the concept of a Democrat who actually fights back.

I've gotten it all, "idiot," "libtard," "Democrat," etc... Yes, I'm including "Democrat" in that list because I am NOT one.  People seem to assume that you can only have two slots in which to fit.  That has never been the case with me on anything, but that's another rant for another day.  Today, my question is, what happened?  Why are things like this?  I've been picking heavily on conservatives, but I've known liberals who are just as loud.  Nothing is going to get fixed by yelling at each other.  In a sinking boat, which works better?  Trying to figure out who's to blame for the leak, or actually getting everyone to the lifeboats in an orderly manner?

Personally, I'm voting for Obama, because he's shown he cares about everyone, even enough to have dialogues with conservatives.  But maybe I'm wrong.  Health care, women's rights, gay marriage, religious freedoms, and so on... Maybe none of that matters.  Maybe the solution really is to let Mitt the Shit R-Money control our money.  After all, that's the bottom line, because Paul Ryan said so.

Uneducated Democracy

"In dire need of reason in a truly deaf nation; Without an education there is no real democracy; Without an education there is only hypocrisy." - Serj Tankian

There's no debating that the political climate in this country is tense, to say the least.  Anyone who has at least a few Facebook or Twitter friends has likely seen highly charged arguments from both sides.  I typically try to avoid the chaos by keeping my mouth shut on Facebook, and the majority of my Twitter followers are either liberal, don't care, or just don't say anything.  I've been debating ending my 5 year hiatus from blogging to let loose my political musings for a few months now, but I just didn't have the time or energy (that's code to say I'm both burned out on politics and also incredibly lazy).  Yet this morning, I finally saw the straw that broke the camel's back.  I cannot stay silent any longer.

For those who do not know, I am a liberal.  I am a supporter of President Barack Obama.  That is not to say that I am a Democrat, because frankly I feel the two party system is broken.  I firmly believe that both the Democrats and the Republicans are manipulating things behind the scenes to keep the Libertarians (a.k.a. the party with real ideas) at bay.  The term "Libertarian" only gets used on the extremists, like Glenn Beck or Ron Paul.  Nobody ever applies this to the *true* Libertarians like Penn Jillette or Bill Maher.  Just like Mr. Maher, who is one of my personal heroes, I choose to vote based on the person rather than the party.  Because of this stance, I am confident in casting my vote to re-elect Obama in November.  I admittedly have some problems with him, but on the whole I like the job he's done - particularly ObamaCare.  That would've been of direct benefit to me personally if I was still at my last job.  Besides, he's far better than the alternative.

What got to me this morning, not surprisingly, was social media.  I am used to the constant shots on Obama, the typical Facebook statuses of "Romney 2012" and "Paul Ryan is my homie" (I'm from Wisconsin) and the like.  It annoys me, but I've just unfollowed, not defriended, most of the people who post nothing but mundane political statuses.  This morning, however, the hashtag "#DescribeObamaInOneWord" was trending on Twitter.  Now of course there were reactions from both sides, and very few of them intelligent.  "President!" was the most typical response from the left, with "failure" or "Nobama" being the response from the right.  The following were mine, which were actually meant to be better thought out and at least slightly amusing:

#DescribeObamaInOneWord Black. No wait, white. No wait, black. Except. No. SON OF A--

#DescribeObamaInOneWord President. Unless you're Republican. They worship President Xenu.

#DescribeObamaInOneWord Commander-in-Chief. Weren't we told never to question the last one? #HyphensMakeItOneWord

After making the mistake of actually clicking on the hashtag, I saw this Tweet:

#DescribeObamaInOneWord blackguywhodidnothingbutkillpeopleandtakevacationsforfouryears

So, what, that makes him black George W. Bush?  As I recall, Bush spent most of his time during his Presidency at his ranch in Texas, and when he wasn't doing that, he was starting two wars that killed millions of innocent citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq - Iraq, by the way, being the first nation to pledge aid to the United States after September 11th (more on that in a future post).  Oh, and did I mention, Bush didn't actually *get* Osama bin Laden?  Yeah, Obama did that.  Well, the Navy SEALS actually did that, but Obama was the one that spent the resources and gave the go-ahead.  Yet still, the night we found out Osama was dead, I actually saw the Facebook status, "Barack sucks.  Kill BOTH Osamas."  WHAT?  

Yes, that's right, one of my Facebook friends actually said he/she wanted the President to die!  That sort of thing would've never flown under G.W. Bush.  In fact, I seem to recall the people who are now complaining about Obama being the exact same people who incessantly told me that Bush was President and never to question him.  Yet what I wanted from Bush was real answers... I certainly didn't ever say I wanted him to die!  What do these people want from Obama?  Do they even know?  I'm starting to think this boils down to racism, pure and simple.  Sexism, too, because what woman would vote Republican right now?  I actually know a few, and I can't fathom why.  I know gays who are voting for Romney as well.  I don't understand it.  It's literally voting your own rights away.  Religion plays a role into my argument here as well, but I won't get into that right now.

My question is this: Are people really this stupid?  Paul Ryan claimed that Obama closed the GM plant in Janesville before he was even elected.  I know people who have met actual workers from that plant who believe Paul Ryan's statement.  They experienced the closure first-hand, under Bush, and still blame Obama!  I recently got into an argument about history with someone, and the reply I got was "I'm educated in history" - Twenty seconds on Google provided me a slew of very credible sources which pointed to the contrary of this person's "facts."  When confronted, the person's reply was essentially, "Well anyone can say quotes or use Google."  ...  Then why don't you?  Unfortunately, people trust the "news" outlets (*cough cough Fox News cough cough*) rather than actually doing their homework.

In the Information Age, there is no excuse for uninformed voters to exist.  If you've got a valid reason to vote for Mitt Romney (though I don't know how you could), fine.  If you simply don't like Obama as a person, fine.  But please, don't vote if you don't actually know what's really going on.  Oh, and yes, I realize we are actually a democratic republic and not a democracy, but that's yet another rant for another day.  Hello, Blogosphere, I'm back.  Did you miss me?