sincere | The debate is on! Thoughts on being politically open-minded

The debate is on! Thoughts on being politically open-minded

Okay you guys, I have a theory. You know how Stephen Colbert doesn't see race?

I think John McCain doesn't see people of different races.

He can't see black people. That's why he didn't look at Barack Obama or Michelle Obama all night last night, not like once, even when Obama was directly talking to him, or watching him steadily. That's why he kept blinking rapidly and distractingly, like some sort of lizard -- because he knew he was talking to someone, and just couldn't figure out where he was! He was trying to unfog his ancient eyes.

Or maybe he just can't see, period. I don't know. Were his eyes among the things that were falling apart in his medical report?

All joking aside, I really, deeply admire people who can say, "I don't vote blindly. I judge the candidates based on their policies and their stances on the issues. I listen to the debates and then I make an informed decision." I do this with my fandoms and my pairings every day. I wish I could do it with politics.

But at the same time, I kind of think these people are strange for needing time to say "The Democrats are the way to go." The moment you talk about issues that I think are very important -- gay rights, abortion, sex ed -- I am completely pigeonholed into the Democratic corner.

Susan Eisenhower left the Republican party, because they no longer stand for what they stood for in her grandfather's time. The Grand Old Party isn't about its grand old ideals anymore. Now, the GOP is about religious appeasement. The Republican candidates will never be on my side because they won't nominate candidates who won't get religious endorsements. They're going to nominate people who are anti-gay marriage and anti-choice and pro-chastity and anti-sex and deeply ashamed of anything new and interesting, because that's all that matters, getting those swing groups out to vote, right?

And these shouldn't even be the politics of the party. These are deeply personal issues that the government shouldn't mess with. I don't need fucking Bush to tell my pharmacist that he doesn't have to give me pills if he doesn't want to. Who the hell do you think you are? The Republicans are the ones who are supposed to not want the government to get in my business, but here they are, in my local pharmacy, hinting at my pharmacist that if he has a moral objection to giving me birth control (and nudgenudge you do have moral objections, right, Mr. Pharmacist? because it's wrong, you know. she should just join an abstinence program! by the way, those totally work, and we won't give your schools money if they don't feel the same way) then he doesn't have to.

I would love to be able to listen to a debate on the economy and think, "Both of these candidates have equally interesting viewpoints, but I like Obama's plan better," instead of thinking, "I like Obama's plan better, and it's a damn good thing, because I am never voting for that shithead McCain." I don't want to think that.

If the Republican party was about politics the way it used to be, and not about political religious persecution the way it is now, maybe I would actually be as open-minded as I want to be. Maybe I wouldn't come away wondering how people I admire can even look at the playing field and not see immediately that there's a "right" choice. I'd like to think that if choice and sexuality suddenly stopped being political opinions, I would be able to look at both parties and pick a candidate based on worth and my beliefs, and not based on personal issues.

In a way, writing this was all because I felt guilty that I deeply admire people who say, "I think about things neutrally and make informed decisions" but I always find myself thinking the Democrats are the only way to vote. I try and take that policy to my whole life. That's how I decide what ships I like: I pay attention, I analyze, and I decide. I always have reasons about why I chose certain ships, and why I dislike other certain ships; it's never just "Allen/Lenalee gets in the way of Lavi/Allen, my OTP!" or "Of course I vote Ichigo/Orihime for canon, Ichigo/Rukia can't possibly have any good points!" I can read Ichigo/Rukia and think it was done right, and I can adore the Allen/Lenalee relationship and think they'd be adorable in canon without feeling like I'm betraying my principles.

I'd love to take the open-mindedness I bring to fandom to politics. But I just can't do that yet. And it's probably wishful thinking to hope I ever can.

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I think John McCain doesn't see people of different races.

NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE.
asdfghjkl; I need some Colbert icons.

I like to consider myself an independent, but I don't think there's anything about Republicans I can agree with. Forcing people to have babies, even in the case of rape? Gay marriage being immoral and unconstitutional? Don't get me wrong, I'm not like "RAWR GTFO REPUBLICANS". I just can't see why anyone would anti-choice, anti-gay marriage, etc.

That's precisely my problem. Back when the Democrats and the Republicans had political differences, I might have been in a different position. But they have a few political differences (poorly upheld) and then they have moral differences that are fiercely fought for.

The day that anything involving my damn sexuality and my damn body go off the ballot, I'll go independent.

I deeply admire people who say, "I think about things neutrally and make informed decisions" but I always find myself thinking the Democrats are the only way to vote. I try and take that policy to my whole life.

Staunch old time liberal here. The issues are usually more important than individuals or whether one guy's hair is parted to the left or whether he came off sounding more confident on any one given night. I can pretend neutrality in politics, no way. Elections aren't popularity contests--I'm voting for the future of my children. I have a daughter and I don't want her world going back to my MOM'S in terms of reproductive rights.

That's brilliant how you compared choosing ships to the supposedly detached way of choosing which candidate to elect. Ship outcomes in manga don't have the consequences electing candidates do. So I can happily ship Ikkaku/Yumi knowing how fail! it would be Kubo seriously wrote overt yaoi in his story. There are plenty Republicans I like and wouldn't mind having over for dinner (George Will comes to mind--he's so nice) but dayum, never would I vote for them.

Like I told

ririum above -- I wish this intense divide didn't exist, that it wasn't moral issues that drove the debate. If they didn't try to regulate my domestic life and my body, I'd be able to look at both sides equally. But until that happens, I'm never going to be able to look at the Republican candidate without thinking, "Will I still be able to live a life of my choosing after four years of them?"

I think the fandom thing is a good metaphor. I can look at fandom subjectively because it doesn't hurt anyone. I don't expect Aizen/Gin to become canon, I fully expect Gin/Rangiku is canon, but I ship both things and I don't let it bother me either way. (I don't know if Ikkaku/Yumichika is the best example. If there were any way to relatively nonconfrontationally bring a gay couple into a mainstream manga, they'd be perfect for it -- relatively unimportant but cool minor characters with virtually zero existing heterosexual interaction.) But I can't bring that same neutrality to politics because politics can hurt people -- tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people. More anti-gay, anti-sex, anti-woman legislation is going to be devastating. I just can't look at McCain/Palin and say, "Those guys have their virtues, too," when their policies will damage what I consider basic human rights (right to choose; right to education; right to medication; things like that). Saying that is like giving up on what I believe in.

If if the GOP ever gave up on "moral" issues, and went back to pure politics, it might be a different story. :\

*hugs and loves you good*

That's so true, and so sad all at once.

♥ Thanks. It's something I just -- needed to get off my chest. Sigh.

I actually tried to be one of those people, until your point became glaringly obvious to the point that I could not fathom voting Republican.

ps ... I friended you because, once, I was green_and_warty .. and then I moved!

(Oh! Good! ♥ )

I really wish I could live in the world where I could be an independent and make my choices based purely on a person's economic and foreign policy plans, without this incredible stumbling block that is their personal beliefs, inflicted on me. Maybe someday. :\

I think for me it comes down to really being a third (fourth, fifth, sixth...) party kind of girl in a two party kind of system.

I like taking government out of business (except Republicans aren't really doing that as you are pointing out) and I like being socially permissive (and the democrats don't push that far enough for my tastes either.) So, I'm really more of a libertarian. And although I don't feel like an extreme person, apparently I am. At least compared to the rest of the country.

Anyway, the whole thing leaves me feeling very out of place. It would be like someone telling me I could only ship YuuRam or ConYuu and me going...no other choices? Really? What about ConFord? Sure, it's obscure, but it could work!

The two party system just isn't making me feel good about myself right now -- because I feel forced to one side because the other side is so harsh on matters I think are A) not political matters, and B) not flexible. If there were X number of parties, I'd be down to X-1 options, but since we have two parties, I really don't have any opportunity to judge.

Honestly, I have nothing against third-parties. I like the idea of more options! But in this system? Where my options are the Republican who wants to inflict his values on my life and some other guy? I will never, ever vote for someone who doesn't stand a chance of winning. I can't afford to do that when it could be the difference between a Bush or a Gore in the White House.

I totally agree. I get all bound up in the decision because I live in Illinois where our electoral votes ALWAYS go democratic because of Chicago. And it is even more certain this year since Barack is from here. So, then I start thinking I should vote for a third party because I know I'm not risking getting the Republican, but then I start wondering...what if everyone is thinking like me? Heh.

This is why I'd rather vote against one person than for one person. Heh.

Locally, I can vote based on the individual's policies and not by party line since small town mayors are more about "how to distribute the city's budget" and less about "we will give gay people no rights and then declare war on Hartford." So, yes, in that case I can just vote for the person who's got their stuff together and has a good plan. It's not that big or tight a field.

It's just a shame I can't really do that on a national level.

Totally agreed with this. On a national scale it just becomes completely impossible for me.

Seriously. I mean, it can be reassuring that the president is muzzled by party lines because they can't go to one extreme or another (...well, usually, ideally), but it's also a stranglehold for people who don't agree with any of the two party lines.

What is so hard about socially liberal and small government? "Gay marriage and a wee government that lets you mind your own business and taxes less and spends less on bloated bureaucracy! Ra ra ra!" You'd think that would be a pretty popular group, God knows I see enough people who think that way without falling into wacky libertarian-land.

I'd love to find a coherent resource to find out about my local candidates, because that really does appeal to me about local politics. I can look around and say, "This person has good ideas!" instead of "This person is the one who won't chain me to a radiator to keep me from doing something about a three-week-old fetus I got from a guy who raped me!"

So yeah. IAWTC. :\

I love this post.

Hooray! Thumbs up from Fly and Yahtzee! I'm so glad people agree.

I'd love to take the open-mindedness I bring to fandom to politics.

The fact that politics and the issues at stake here are so much more than just who will end up canon in a series makes it really difficult for me, as well, and I've stopped pretending to be nonbiased ages ago 8) I just can't agree with the Republicans on issues from abortion to the war in Iraq, and I'm not going to try to bend over backwards to compromise what's important to me to hold up the pretense of being objective.

Anyway, totally agreed with this entire post.

But I feel bad ruling out essentially the entire party, forever, because they don't support my right to make decisions about my body. Not bad enough to stop deciding based on that, of course, but -- bad!

The Iraq war I don't feel bad about. It's legitimate politics. I hate the way they're handling it and talking about it and I want what Obama gives me in this situation: the promise of a timetable, assurance that he's aware that it's a financial and a moral sinkhole, and no more goddamn assurances that "We're winning the war! Honest! Just eight more years and we can maybe bring some guys home WHOOPS WAS THAT A TIMELINE I JUST EMBOLDENED THE TERRORISTS NEVER MIND."

dflgkfgdj

Tangent'd. Anyway. I don't feel bad making decisions about the war because they're fucking it up and it's real politics. But abortions aren't politics. My body, my decision, the end. :\ Now I am forever doomed to vote Democratic. Oh... no?

Do you mind if I link a friend to this post? I love your points here and how you made them, and I think she'd be interested, too.

Belated, but you certainly can! I'm glad you found it interesting, and I hope your friend does.

Amen to your whole post. I like to think that if someone else made a good point, I'd think: "Oh well, when you look at it that way, maybe X is better than Y," or whatever. But everything that the republican party pushes nowadays just horrifies me. I wrote in my post how I don't understand how someone can ARGUE against spending money (after raising taxes on gee golly whiz, the rich people who enjoy the biggest tax cuts) on things that our country actually NEEDS, like alternative energy, national health care, and education. How do you say with a straight face: "that's bad policy" ?

I think Obama was really respectful at the debate. He even complimented McCain several times and all McCain would throw at him was "Senator Obama doesn't understand."

a;wejfo;awiejf

VOTE DEMOCRAT YeSSSSSSSS

"SENATOR OBAMA DOESN'T UNDERSTAND" slgdfljgdfgjk shut the fuck up. I was watching CNN and it was such a huge relief to see the audience reaction trend sharply down every time he said that provoking, stupid shit.

Saying it once or twice is acceptable. Saying it eight damn times make you sound condescending and smug. The country is officially sick of these bully tactics. They're not enough anymore.

I can't get over how sleazy McCain is these days. I used to have respect for that man. :\ What happened to him?

That was an excellent post. I'm not an American so sometimes certain parts of its political culture (such as the whole religious bit you mentioned) just seems so odd to me. Watching the debate on YouTube Obama really did seem to be more diplomatic in his approach in the debate.

That seems to be the consensus: both democrats and independents thought Obama was the clear victor in the debate, maybe not on substance so much as in seeming presidential and in control and intelligent. I hope we see that reflected in the polls come November too, because otherwise I will be forced to reconsider being an American. XD

XeroZohar: Also, late on this, but re: McCain not looking at Obama... Maybe he was just absolutely fascinated with Lehrer's face.

Karlinn: He is a very intriguing man.

CactuarJoe: Well, to be honest, Lehrer's face is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

Karlinn: I almost wish McCain hadn't shown up. Then the headlines could've been Old White Man Runs From Young Black Guy Asking For Change.

In all seriousness though, I share your sentiments on the Republican party.

Obama was so mesmerized by Lehrer's face that at one point he called McCain "Tom". XD

You've hit it on the nail. The Republican Party is so far removed from what it used to be, it shouldn't have the same name. What happened to the fiscally conservative champions of states' rights? (Though truthfully, I am more of a federalist). I feel disappointed that they became the party of "religious appeasement," to borrow your words.

I'd like to think that if choice and sexuality suddenly stopped being political opinions, I would be able to look at both parties and pick a candidate based on worth and my beliefs, and not based on personal issues.

You win the internets, Kay. When can we start living in that world?

I agree completely with you. Personally I feel that I could not have an abortion but outside of myself? I don't think I can tell any woman what she can do. My boyfriend is a Republician because our church tells him to be so. However I think for myself and can say that I strongly disagree with hating on gay marriage, equal rights, and as my pastor said last Sunday, "Who cares about the environment! The Bible doesn't say the ice caps are going to melt, but Jesus is coming, so don't worry about the environment!"
:-(

I'm Democrat and cannot possibly imagine why anyone would ever want to be a Republican.

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