All Politics Is Loco, Parte IX

I voted here in Dallas Tuesday afternoon and it took me a whole five minutes but then as I said, I went in the afternoon and not when most people were going to or from work.

I did see lines last week at some of the early voting stations which surprised me. But then I was equally surprised to note that I spent more time Tuesday conversing with a friend about the respective virtues of McCain and Obama than I did at the actual polls.

For that matter, I was surprised to note the return of paper ballots. At least for this past election.

There was a special electronic pad set up for handicapped voters at the voting station where I went and one of the people there told me that early voters got the electronic option as well. Apart from that, everything else was done the old-fashioned way.

Anyway, Barack Obama won and John McCain lost. And I would like to think that those who have been less than gracious about the results could learn a lot from the friend I mentioned above who could have said a lot of nasty comments but instead chose to look on the bright side of things and wish the winner well. I was surprised to hear McCain described by said friend as an underdog -- after all, he was endorsed by most of the conservative establishment. But then I have been surprised by a lot of things this election.

Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

I can't help but agree with the various Internet wags who have compared this election season to the inevitable Christmas season. After all, both seem to start earlier and earlier each time and, of course, both involve promises that almost seem inevitably apt to end up broken. But I would like to believe that Obama is a good man and time will show me how right or wrong that belief is. Of course, I also had high hopes for Bush in 2000 but I'd rather not think about that right now.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte VIII

According to some elderly guys at one of the local restaurants, Obama already has the Presidental race all sewn up. Personally I won't believe that till next Wednesday but when even people who aren't Obama fans start talking as if his victory was a sure thing, I can't help but wonder.

Anyway, I'll be glad when this Presidential race is over. This post made me rather proud to be an American. This post about the recent booing of John McCain by his own supporters didn't make me feel so proud (I keep thinking Americans should be better than that and unfortunately, many of my fellow Americans are not) and this post -- which argued that people who merely vote for the wrong political candidate are much worse than a Russian dictator who murdered millions -- is just ridiculous.

I guess if I was smart, I would have taken advantage of early voting but I didn't. I guess I like to live dangerously.

Anyway, I discovered at a recent family gathering that I'm one of the few people left in my family who will be voting Democratic this November. Since my mother is a former Kennedy Democrat who once voted for McGovern and since my favorite cousin once described the Democratic Party in the late 1980s as "our" party -- implying that voting Democratic was a tradition for both my family and hers -- this makes me sad. But it doesn't surprise me. My mother has talked for years of her disillusionment with the Democratic Party and since she once admitted that she voted against Clinton in the 1990s because he supported defense cuts -- and because her employer was dependent on defense contracts -- I really didn't think it was too realistic to expect her to change her mind.

I was surprised by my one sibling's enthusiasm for Sarah Palin -- apparently he thinks she's a hottie -- and even more by one out-of-state cousin's antipathy toward Ms. Palin. I haven't had the chance to discuss with my cousin her reasons for hating Ms. Palin but my sibling assured me that she was most vocal about it in their online correspondence.

Anyway, I don't expect Obama to solve all our problems if he gets elected and indeed, I suspect the election will be a lot closer than most people are predicting. I don't really see McCain pulling an upset but then there was a time back in January when he didn't seem likely to even get the nomination. So who knows?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed either way.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte VII

At long last a voice of sanity.

I should have posted about this earlier but I've been too depressed to comment on politics as of late.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte VI

I should have said this last week but I didn't. So I'm saying it now.

When I think about fighting liberals, I think about the type of muckrakers who courageously stand up to corrupt politicos and abusive lawmen. What I don't associate with the term is the type of back fence gossip defined by this post.

The funny thing about that post is that I usually admire Jill and Melina and the political stances they take. I just don't agree with their approach. After all there are a lot of more important issues involved with the candidacy of Governor Sarah Palin than whether or not she gives her kids strange names. (What? Democratic voters don't ever give their kids strange names? Or get ridiculed for it?) Or worse yet, whether she's actually the grandmother of her own child. (What? Democratic voters wouldn't mind the implication that one of their children isn't really their child? And have no problem with self-appointed muckrakers butting into their personal life?) I'd expect such tactics from the likes of Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh but from a liberal blogger? Shesh.

Aren't liberals supposed to be better than that? I realize Sarah Palin is hardly the ideal candidate as far as the average liberal is concerned -- understatement of the year -- but I used to have the notion that certain things just weren't done if you were a liberal. Apparently I was wrong.

And apparently I'm not the only one who's having issues with the way Sarah Palin has been treated. (I'm just the only one who has issues with that Brilliant at Breakfast post.)

Granted, Sarah Palin is a hard person to feel sorry for. But I had the impression that the mentality that said it was okay to do such things because the cause we're fighting for is so important was the very mentality we're fighting against. Apparently not.

I thought the various rumors spread about Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama -- he's not black enough, he's too black, he's a Muslim, he hangs out with terrorists -- were bad enough. But to hear similar garbage coming from the liberal side is just too depressing.

It's going to be a long time until Election Day.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte V

Oh, rats! I missed seeing the Democratic National Convention on TV. I wonder who this year's Presidental candidate turned to be. I'm betting it was Obama. Call it a hunch...

All Politics Is Loco

Parte I
Parte II
Parte III
Parte IV
Parte V
Parte VI
Parte VII
Parte VIII
Parte IX

All Politics Is Loco, Parte IV

Heh. I actually saw someone wearing a "Vote Petrelli" campaign button last week and I was actually tempted to ask him where he got it.

Not that I particularly hate both of the current presidential candidates enough to cast such a write-in vote -- but it is tempting.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte III

I can't help wondering if the most intelligent comment I'm likely to hear concerning the current presidential campaign comes from my eight-year-old niece, who recently admitted to supporting HilLary Clinton. Why? Because HiLlary's a girl. (Those are my niece's words, not mine.)

Since my sister is a Republican, I can't help but find this comment a bit unusual. (But then my niece recently admitted that Return of the Jedi was her favorite Star Wars movie because it has a girl on the cover. I sense a trend here.) But, hey, at least my niece is honest and not afraid to break with her parents' political beliefs. I can think of many people who are far older who can learn from her.

Meanwhile, the only thing my mother and my middle brother have said about the current campaign is that it's likely to be a Democratic year. (Note: none of them think that this is necessarily a good thing.) Of course, the Democrats have managed to pull defeat from the jaws of victory before. But with hardcore Republicans already damning leading Republican candidate John McCain before he has even gotten the nomination, anything is possible.

Anyway, it's going to be an interesting election year. And I'm still getting used to the notion of an U.S. presidential candidate who was born in the same birth year (1961) as myself. Gee, that makes me feel old.

All Politics Is Loco, Parte II

Last night, Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Primary and John McCain won the Republican primary.

Time will tell whether or not these victories were good things.

Suffice to say I'm not really a big fan of either candidate, nor am I a big fan of Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee.

It looks like another one of those "lesser of two evils" elections this year...

All Politics Is Loco, Parte I

I've been trying to refrain from posting too much political stuff on this site because I'm really not into political debates as much as I used to be. The older I get, the more I see issues in shades of gray and most often, I think of things in terms of not so much good and evil as responsible and irresponsible. That doesn't mean I don't have political beliefs. Just that they tend to be far more complicated than most people would prefer.

Anyway, I'm going to vote in the Texas primary today.

Wish me well.