The Debate
I wasn't going to comment on last night's debate, but one of my faraway friends -- a member of the NEO diaspora -- asked me to.
The truth is, I haven't watched any debates thus far -- not on TV, not on YouTube, nowhere. I'm pretty good at tuning out all the chatter about the horserace.
(I have caught a couple soundbites, including the Hill-arious "Shame on you, Barack Obama!" speech in which Ted Strickland, bless him, nods and claps sycophantically in the background.)
So I thought Clinton and Obama did equally well. Afterwards, watching a little bit of the chatter, I concluded that The Media must've decided beforehand that Hillary wasn't going to pull off a stunning upset, because that's what they seemed to be talking about, even though I can detect no discernible difference between the two candidates. Or maybe it's just me.
Also, some weird inner conservative impulse came bubbling up out of my dark subconscious last night.... I started to wonder, is there a point at which Ohio should stop blaming NAFTA and globalization in general and expecting the next president to do something about that, and start working on, say, bringing high-tech businesses here and creating a better-educated workforce? (I know. It scared me too.)
Look, I wasn't planning on making a choice between Clinton and Obama. I'm going to vote for Dennis, if he's on the ballot, and if he's not, I'm going to write him in. And if they don't give me a pencil, I'm not picking either of them.
In the general election, I'm probably going to vote for Ralph Nader, if he's on the ballot. And if he's not, I'll probably write him in. And if they don't give me a pencil, I might just abstain.
What would Clinton or Obama have to do to get my vote? Commit to a single-payer healthcare system. Until the Democrats take that stance, I'm just going to have to conclude that I'm not actually a Democrat.
Maybe I'll just have to swim across to Canada, provided they haven't built a fence!
The truth is, I haven't watched any debates thus far -- not on TV, not on YouTube, nowhere. I'm pretty good at tuning out all the chatter about the horserace.
(I have caught a couple soundbites, including the Hill-arious "Shame on you, Barack Obama!" speech in which Ted Strickland, bless him, nods and claps sycophantically in the background.)
So I thought Clinton and Obama did equally well. Afterwards, watching a little bit of the chatter, I concluded that The Media must've decided beforehand that Hillary wasn't going to pull off a stunning upset, because that's what they seemed to be talking about, even though I can detect no discernible difference between the two candidates. Or maybe it's just me.
Also, some weird inner conservative impulse came bubbling up out of my dark subconscious last night.... I started to wonder, is there a point at which Ohio should stop blaming NAFTA and globalization in general and expecting the next president to do something about that, and start working on, say, bringing high-tech businesses here and creating a better-educated workforce? (I know. It scared me too.)
Look, I wasn't planning on making a choice between Clinton and Obama. I'm going to vote for Dennis, if he's on the ballot, and if he's not, I'm going to write him in. And if they don't give me a pencil, I'm not picking either of them.
In the general election, I'm probably going to vote for Ralph Nader, if he's on the ballot. And if he's not, I'll probably write him in. And if they don't give me a pencil, I might just abstain.
What would Clinton or Obama have to do to get my vote? Commit to a single-payer healthcare system. Until the Democrats take that stance, I'm just going to have to conclude that I'm not actually a Democrat.
Maybe I'll just have to swim across to Canada, provided they haven't built a fence!
posted by Christine at 10:57 AM
9 Comments:
At this time, I think Barack's a better candidate than Ralph Nader. I did vote for Ralph in 2000 and I wish I had voted for him in 2004 (a vote for Kerry was a wasted vote...he had NO spine).
I do think that education should have been really talked about, especially more than NAFTA. You are very on point about NAFTA. Jobs were going away from Ohio before Bill Clinton even became governor of Arkansas. I think that you can't talk about these issues unless you talk about corporate greed. No one wants to piss anyone off talking about that...except for our man Ralph. I would be more than happy to sign and get him on the ballot, even though I don't think he has my vote this time.
I don't feel like a Democrat anymore either, Christine.
I have felt that way since 2000, at least. I feel like the Democrats aren't even being Democrats. It sickens me to see Democrats back off when anyone uses the l-word (I mean liberal, people).
God forbid anyone should be progressive...
Argh, as much as this pains me to say it, I guess I am a member of the NEO diaspora as well. I agree with you Christie that the best part of that Hillary clip you mentioned was Ted Strickland's obvious discomfort in the background!
Laura, you can always come back! Cleveland will welcome you with open arms and unshoveled sidewalks.
Derek - I wanted to like Barack Obama. I did like Barack Obama. But that unwillingness to say okay, it's time to step up to the plate and go with a single-payer system.... Actually, he also lost me when he said Ralph Nader's only in it for Ralph Nader anymore.
"Maybe I'll just have to swim across to Canada, provided they haven't built a fence!"
Christine,
Sorry, I couldn't resist:
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com
Scroll down to #75
-Rob
Ha!
For the record, the only reason I would really move to Canada at this point would be to use all that high school French that's going to waste.
I also like "standing still at concerts." Thanks for pointing out this site, Rob!
You're a high school French refugee too? Awesome!
I started French when I was 9. I don't know if I could get by in Quebec. I can get by in Toronto, reading the bilingual signs and covering the English portions to see if I still have something left.
If Sen. Obama did say that, I would have to disagree. I don't question Ralph's heart or motivation because he's been consistent all of these years. He kind of reminds me of Roldo Bartimole: you know he's right and some people just hate to admit it because they would be implicated as a result. I am voting for Obama if he gets the nod but in the event that he doesn't, I am definitely rolling with Ralph. I am not feeling Hillary at all...she might get inducted into the Joseph I. Lieberman / Robert Byrd Center for Democrats Derek Can't Stand soon.
Oh, and single payer is DEFINITELY where it's at...have fun at the WSM today.
I don't think that trying to get jobs that aren't walmart here and being sure that there's better educational opportunities is a conservative or liberal idea... it's something that makes a lot of sense (but then again, I do tend to swing slightly more 'conservative' on some issues...)
but that's just me...
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