obama win causes obsessive supporters to realize how empty their lives are

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

i was in tears after this one. the onion is sheer genius.

-ap.

love wins.

it's difficult to come up with something to blog about in the emotionally charged wake of last night's election. it's difficult to be happy while so many others are disappointed, and it is certainly hard to be publicly proud when so many are frustrated and pessimistic.

last night was history. it was the culmination of so many positive things in the united states and also marked the beginning of a new era in this nation. i'm proud to be an american today. regardless how you cast your vote (if you did) or whether you have hope or think we're doomed - no one can deny an incredible step toward racial reconciliation in this country. maybe the largest step taken yet.

i was impressed with john mccain's speech last night. he was classy and there is no doubt that he loves this country dearly. for the mccain supporters who have littered the internet with hateful disgust toward america and its new president-elect, you are acting in a way that would disgrace the man for whom you cast your vote. i pray that mccain supporters can emulate john's love for this country and hope to avoid the failure they see so imminent. nothing good comes from hatred and fear.

i am confident that this country has taken a step in the right direction. now is our chance to continue pressing on in love for a better future for this country. i am hopeful and will continue to pray for our leaders, as well as the people they govern. i encourage you to do the same.

-ap.

why i'm voting for Barack Obama...*

Brian McLaren has been doing a really terrific series on his reasons for supporting Barack Obama. his reasons are scarily similar to my own thoughts** - each of these posts is something that i've been passionate about before reading them and they've just fueled the fire - part three even rose a fist pump out of me.

i don't know if anyone even glances at my 'take a gander' section on the right side, but all three of these were posted on there (as well as shared on my google reader). i think everyone - especially Christians - should read them.

Why I'm voting for Barack Obama, and why I hope you will too - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

there will be more to come too, but these are all three great. especially part 3 (which is the number one reason i will be voting for BO on november 4th too). -

-ap.

* - this is the third and last post for today. i promise.
** - however, his thoughts seem to be slightly more level-headed than mine.

political rant.

up until this point i've been trying my best to give both candidates a shot at my vote. i like McCain's energy ideas, but i like Obama's health care and his stance on social justice issues. i'm personally in complete support of Obama raising taxes for the wealthy. who cares if the richest people in the country get taxed more?! if you're making $500,000 a year you could be taxed half of that and still be making WAY too much. what do you even do with $250,000 a year!? i couldn't spend that money if i really tried to.

in first grade we did a fun activity called the Million Dollar Project - essentially, what would you do with $1 million bucks? you know what i decided?! i decided that i'd build a TREE HOUSE. a really big one with a fire pole and a rope swing. and then when that only encompassed about $1,000 bucks i decided to add electricity and put in a N64 and a TV and bought all the other electronics i could think of, and when i was done - i decided to donate the remaining $957,600 dollars to charity. and here i am 17 years later and i still don't understand what people would ever do with that much dinero. even 1/10 of that - i don't understand how you could spend it.

so when McCain blasts Obama about wanting to raise the taxes of the upper class - i tell the upper class to cry me a river and fork it over. if you can't be happy with tax deprived yet still bloated salary then you've got bigger medically addressable problems outside of governmental issues.

that ends my first rant. like i said. i've tried to contain myself and agree as best as i can with both candidates, but today in my Wealth Power and Privilege class i was presented with two military fellows who started in on how great McCain is and then when asked about Obama they were completely ignorant. They had no idea what they were talking about - but, boy, did they hate the man. did they know what his stance was on....anything? no. but they knew he wasn't republican and they knew he hadn't been tortured in the military in his past life like the MAVERICK.

from their perspective, it makes pefect sense. they're in the military so they're supporting the guy that supports the military. this is not to discount McCain's service, but we're not electing the person most like us - there are 305,179,081 other people in this country that are getting this president too. i'm tired of people supporting the candidate who is best for themselves. we're selecting the person most suited for the country. (it is unfortunate that - republican or democrat - 100% of congress is extremely wealthy).

i'm tired of a having a militaristically minded President instead of a socially conscious one, and that's the vibe i've been getting from McCain, and now from McCain supporters and i've had enough. i'd like a President that is going do address race and class issues in this nation instead of in war zones abroad.

i'm still going to watch the debates with the most open mind i can possibly muster, but I'm supporting Barack Obama until McCain proves he has more to offer than being "America's Maverick" - cause he's losing ground with me every time he boasts it. I didn't want to get emotional about politics this year, but Johnny Camo pushed the right buttons today in class and i'm currently on fire.

-ap.

mccain-palin.

lets first point out the obvious: for a 44-year-old, sarah palin is a total babe.

more importantly, however, she's an ethics oriented governor from alaska with a terrific grasp on domestic issues, specifically oil and gas resources. she's not from washington (which is a plus), and - she's a woman.

when i first heard that mccain was throwing a never-heard-of-her woman for VP i was skeptical. the choice of a young woman is genius as far as getting into the presidency goes. she's an advocate for change and she pulls former hillary votes away from obama-biden. however, my initial thoughts were that she wasn't going to be perfect for the job when/if mccain makes it into the white house.

but i made that judgement before i read her credentials and put them side by side with mccain's. mccain is an honored war veteren with way too much experience and not enough movement for change. but when coupled with a change-minded youngster who shares his beliefs on today's issues and can emphasize one of the biggest domestic issue truly important to the american people right now (oil and gas) the mccain-palin ticket becomes much more attractive.

scary thought: mccain has had a number of run-ins with cancer, and on the off chance that he were to die during presidency, would we really be comfortable with a one-term female governor of alaska running the country? its a risk that mccain is willing to take apparently.

however, without assuming the worst, this is a money stroke by mccain. it's nice to see that even seasoned geezer like mccain is so capable of making savvy veteren maneuvers like this; say what you will about mccain's desire of change or lack thereof, but the fact that he's able to select an inexperienced woman as his running mate displays that he's looking for change too and acting on it.

poor woman has to debate joe biden though. i hope she's got a witty comment or two up her sleeve that rips him a new one - cause if she doesn't it's going to be ugly. hopefully she lives up to her nickname: barracuda. i'm excited about her cause she doesn't sound like my mom like hillary does, but moreso cause i think she's the right person to back mccain.

this race just got a lot more interesting. however, i think i'd rather have a idealistic visionary in office with an experienced vp than the other way around. people can rally around an idealist. kennedy was an idealist. lincoln was an idealist. obama is too, and i think he's what's best for this country. "country first."

this doesn't change my vote, however, as always, i'm still open to be influenced.

-ap.

obama-biden.

i recieved a text message at 2 am notifying me that joe biden would be barack obama's running mate in '08. obviously a smart decision for two reasons: it addresses obama's lack of experience as well as his lack of foreign policy knowledge - the two main areas that mccain has attacked. this has been a change vs experience race so far, but this ends that debate. its change and experience vs experience.

truth be told, biden might be just as good a presidential candidate as obama.

the only folks i see not supporting this decision: stubborn female hillary fans. the ones who's chief reasoning for voting for hillary was because she would've brought more estrogen into the white house. suck it up ladies and support your country instead of your gender.

biden is the type of person i love to root for. outspoken, confident, and not afraid to tell you what he's thinking (kind of like usain bolt, of whom i'm also a fan). he sees things that he doesn't like in our current government and he tells you all about it. he affirms one of the things i've liked so much about this obama campaign: transparency. there aren't secrets, and you don't have to sit back and wonder what they're thinking or what they want. bien fits the obama ticket perfectly.

the only thing i'm not an initial fan of is that he looks like jack's dad from Lost, but i think i can look past it as long as he doesn't turn out to be an alcoholic with an illegitimate child.

-ap.