I just have a couple things to say on my opinion about the election. It's no secret that one of the things important to me is global interests. You may remember I blogged a little bit about it while I was in South Africa, when I stayed at Vicky's B & B and met her kids. Her teenage daughter was wearing a shirt that said, "OBAMA 08." And her 10 year old daughter said to me, "I will hope for you that Obama wins!" This is from a teenager and a 10 year old halfway around the world. What I'm trying to say is that although whoever is elected will be running only our country, we are part of a global community and if they had a vote in this, it would most definitely be for Obama. We need to pay attention to the rest of the world!! We need them on our side. And Obama is the way to achieve that. There's a common misconception here in America that the rest of the world loves & adores us, wants to be us, respects us, and fears us. This is not true! This may be true for people in desperate situations, but for countries that are more equivalent to us in wealth and power, we're a joke. We're often seen as uneducated, lazy, selfish, and well, fat. We don't appreciate what we have and many of us are so clueless about the rest of the world. I always had an idea this may be the case, but especially after traveling this summer I know it's true. There were moments I really didn't want to admit I was American (especially when with Canadians :) hahaha Because it was like an automatic judgement, and I was expecting the groan or the "oh...." And people aren't afraid to tell you what they think either...about our lifestyle, about Bush, about 9/11...and about Obama! There is so much interest in this election, the world is holding their breath to see if we get it right this time. They are just as hopeful as we are that things will change. While we may be seen in a negative light, people are watching and ultimately what we do does have an effect elsewhere in the world (as we're seeing with the economy) and that's why we need to get it right. Another friend of mine who has traveled abroad had similar things to say. He was in Australia (working with the U.S. government by the way), and said, "I had the same experience... A LOT of Australians carry a disdain for the government and the people." We're a joke abroad. While some can see through our poor representation (Bush) to all the good qualities, you can't ignore the obvious problems we have here. So, we need a change, and the rest of the world knows it, we just need to catch up.
Which brings me to another thought. We're supposed to be a fairly progressive country I thought. We're so equal right? We have women's rights, and freedom of religion, and all these other freedoms. Yet it's a big deal to have a black president? We've still never had that? And it still 'scares' people??? Really? I read an article the other day about some of the things McCain's supporters are saying at his events (which by the way, he defended Obama, so kudos on that) One woman said, "I've read about him, he's an Arab." Are you kidding me? This is the kind of stuff that pisses me off to no end. I may not follow politics as closely as I should, you may lose me when the talk gets technical, but I know I'm not basing my choices on such trivial, and FALSE information. That's what is so scary. People who base their votes on things like that. Not only is it false (and there's so much false information out there about Obama that people just hide behind because they don't want to admit they're not ready for a black president) but so what if it was true... are we that still that backward?
Although it's hard for me to understand other people's points of view on this particular topic, I do understand voting based on different beliefs in the issues...not color of skin, or religion, which is unfortunately where some of these votes will be made from. And please trust I am the last person to throw out the race card; I will come up with every other explanation possible for things before I suggest racism, but it's blatant in this election. Which is so sad, and screwed up.
While I'm at it, I worry that people are so blinded by the fact that Sarah Palin is a woman, a mom, and seemingly 'everyday' person that they'll forget what they're actually voting for. I don't want a freakin' hockey mom as second in command. And if all you needed to see was she's a mom like you to decide your vote, you don't need to be voting in the first place. That's ridiculous. As far as I'm concerned, Palin is Bush in a woman's body; sounds ignorant half the time, doesn't answer questions, and isn't sure of the answers if it wasn't studied beforehand. I can't deal with another term of people leading our country who can't present us well. Even if you aren't good at your job, can't you at least fake it?! McCain is just as bad. He literally sounds just like Bush. He loses with me on presentation alone, without even mentioning the obvious fact that he would be more of the same we've been dealing with the past 8 years.
Man, seems like I had something else I wanted to say...but I don't remember now. I know everyone has their own views and I just want to be sure we're all voting for the right reasons. And take into consideration global interest. It does matter.
Ooh, I remembered what I was going to say. I think the economic problems we're having are a blessing in disguise. We need a giant slap in the face. We've all been living beyond our means, keeping up with Jones', and living selfishly far too long. While it may be a horrible situation to be in for some people, it can only be a benefit. This is our rock bottom and it can only get better. I can only hope people learn from this.
