i dreamt i wrote this post, but i never did.  that seems to be happening a lot lately, possibly because there’s so relatively little going on in the real world right now.  well my real world.  otherwise there is the election…

the election- damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

 ”so what if i elect the guy that i like, he won’t really get anything done.”  that’s the sentiment that this grows out of, right?  this topic comes via brock via a conversation, and i really wish i had been there to hear the conversation- because the answer is very simple.   NO.  vote for barack obama, he will change the world.  it’s just that simple.  there’s plenty of reason to be cynical, but not when it comes to barack.  

ok, so in truth there are plenty of ironies inherent in politics.  first- the branches of government.  all the candidates are talking and making promises about how they will change things, but let’s be clear.  the executive branch has absolutely no power to create laws, just the ability to enforce them.  what!? how can they fix the economy? oh, by enforcing the regulations that already exist, and have just been ignored for 8 years?   but what about our image abroad?  by sticking to the rules which tell us what torture really is?  we’ve had great presidents before- and what they did was follow the rules.  also, the VP has no special powers (tsk tsk sarah palin, tsk tsk).  and people who cry about activist judges- are they absolutely blind to the concept of check and balances?  so it’s a little confusing to me how things get done in washington, and what party in power and where is the best combination.  but that’s pretty much an ebb-and-flow kind of thing.  probably the biggest check/balance of all.

but second- the huger irony- hugest even.  the person you elect will betray everything they stand for to get the job done.  republicans hate big government bureaucracy, right?  well every republican president has increased the size enormously, while democrats shrink it (think dept of homeland security).  republicans believe in fiscal spending, and yet clinton was the only president with a surplus- almost ever.  democrats are pro-choice, but the rate of abortions goes down when there’s a democrat in the white house.  perhaps because they believe in education?

and perhaps the biggest irony of all, i used to be a big clinton fan.  actually, initially an edwards fan.  see how well they worked out for me?  but the truth is, i always loved what barack was saying, i was just afraid of his commitment to it.  edwards was committed to the point of losing, and that’s what i respected.   but now i see.  will barack bring about real change?  that’s kind of a crapshoot.  but there is hope, there should always be hope.

the election- ironic?  NO.  you’re just plain damned if you don’t.  politics? hugely ironic.

• BROWSE / IN TIMELINE
• « not ironic, just a confluence of circumstances
• » adventures in hipster irony, pt1

• BROWSE / IN capitalism verdict: NO verdict: YES
• « it’s my wine in a box
• » adventures in hipster irony, pt1

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