I Hate Politics

[filkertom]

The stupid kind, I mean:

In Boston this evening, Senator Obama said: "I'm not running to fulfill some long held plans or because I think it's open to me."....But that's not what Senator Obama's teachers, family, classmates or staff say:

....In third grade, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled 'I Want To Be a President.' His third grade teacher: Fermina Katarina Sinaga "asked her class to write an essay titled 'My dream: What I want to be in the future.' Senator Obama wrote 'I want to be a President,' she said." [The Los Angeles Times, 3/15/07]

In kindergarten, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled 'I Want to Become President.' "Iis Darmawan, 63, Senator Obama's kindergarten teacher, remembers him as an exceptionally tall and curly haired child who quickly picked up the local language and had sharp math skills. He wrote an essay titled, 'I Want To Become President,' the teacher said." [AP, 1/25/07 ]

I was leaving well enough alone for awhile. But this is just pathetic. See, all you Hillary haters? You don't have to be offensive and misogynistic to find reasons not to vote for her -- she hands them to you. (Same problem I have with Obama, really.)

For now, I'm throwing support behind John Edwards. We'll have to see what Chris Dodd does, but Edwards has been saying and doing many of the right things for a number of years now.

Comments

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

Tom? ALL politics are stupid.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, but. There's stupid, and there's What The Fuck Is Wrong With You stupid. This is the latter.

[ladysmith.livejournal.com]

Chris Dodd seems to be making the right noises, but he's only just come onto my radar. All I know is what I read on his website.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

I'm still a Bill Richardson fangirl. He's only said one thing that I know of that made me go, "Jerk." That's considerably fewer things than Edwards has said. Funny, I liked Edwards well enough as a VP candidate, but I'm not pleased with him now.

[bryanp.livejournal.com]

He's being ignored for the most part. I'm hoping that he'll be left to pick up the pieces when Obama and Clinton are done bashing each other to pieces.

[allandaros.livejournal.com]

What was the one thing? I've been tangentially following Richardson - I used to back him lots, but then stopped, for reasons I don't remember.

[knitmeapony.livejournal.com]

Edwards is my man for a mainstream candidate; Kucinich is my real candidate.

If we get Clinton (who I do like, in many ways, but she makes me uncomfortable politics-as-usual in others) or Obama (who plainly isn't ready to say the least), I'll be voting with the Greens again this year. Unless we've got another Electoral college issue, in which case I'll try the vote trading thing again. (If my state is a swing state, I'll vote Democrat if someone in a non-swing state votes Green).

I hate, hate, hate that my choice is like that. I hate that we've got this terrible, biased, miserable system of voting.

I don't know why your post set me off, but god damn it, I'm no math genius and I've got a good grasp on the voting systems that'd get us a real winner of a candidate, honestly liked by a good majority. Rargh.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

If these were things he had written in college, or even high school, I'd say okay. But really, how many kids in grade school, when asked to speak on their high ambition, will list being President? It's about as common as them claiming they want to be a firefighter, or to dig up dinosaurs. *sigh*

[kilbia.livejournal.com]

My gosh, I remember thinking I wanted to do that job, back when I was very young and had no clue of the depths of my disdain for responsibility.

I'm also reminded of an episode of Punky Brewster where Punky is being interviewed as part of a talent show, and when asked what she wants to be when she grows up, replies "The President of the United States! Or a waitress. I'm not sure yet."

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm confused about what this is supposed to say. I mean, /everyone/ wants to be President when they're kids, if only for a couple of days.

Cue Harry Chapin's "Dreams Go By"

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Well, that is the point. When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to marry Debbie Bach, the girl down the block. In second grade I wanted to be a doctor. In fourth grade I wanted to be either an astronaut or a pro wrestler. In seventh grade I wanted to be a professional chess player. Et cetera.

Re: Cue Harry Chapin's "Dreams Go By"

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Flip-flopper!

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

It's not even the first time in this campaign that someone decided something a student did when they were five or so had a bearing on their ability to be a plausible presidential candidate. It's absurd.

[kosaginolegion.livejournal.com]

All I can say is that I hope, one day, to have the privilege of voting for someone for president. (or any office, for that matter.)

Instead of having to vote against the candidate I distrust most.

[mythdude.livejournal.com]

That's just...confusing. It's not like Obama said "When I grow up I want to overthrow the US government."

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

You could say that's the goal of any presidential candidate. ;)

[skalja.livejournal.com]

I'm voting for Gravel in the primary, and whichever democrat actually wins next November. *sighs*

[james-the-evil1.livejournal.com]

That's OK Tom.
Did you hear about how, because of what's going on in Texas, Intelligent Design might be replacing Evolution in science classes nation wide?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/us/03evolution.html?ex=1354338000&en=2363ea550a38b05d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

[lizreay.livejournal.com]

Oh noes!!! He wanted to be president when he was 8!!!

I think I wanted to be President when I was 6... or a police officer... or possibly Barbie.

[purpleranger.livejournal.com]

Because the bitch had everything? ;)

[moquif.livejournal.com]

If she had everything, why do you have to buy her friends?

[violinsontv.livejournal.com]

I was gonna stay out of this, but then I read this in The Nation this morning:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071217/moser

(rant on)
Frankly, I think stuff like this on the part of the DNC trumps the undeniable example of Teh Stupid that you've brought up here, Tom. And as a fellow Michigander, I cannot bring myself to support John Edwards because he took his name off my state ballot. And Obama, and Richardson.

Kucinich? Sure, he says everything progressives want to hear. And I tried to ignore the pie-chart thing. But what am I supposed to think of a candidate who *tries* to pull his name off my state's ballot but *misses the freakin' deadline?*

Bottom line, I'm backing Hills because she's the *only* one of the lot of them who knows how to work the system. (Like it or not, that's part of the reason why she is such a "divisive" figure.) I made this decision today because I want at least a decent shot at getting health care and just maybe holding onto reproductive rights for my daughter. It ain't ideal, but I think anything more progressive is essentially dead in the water.

(rant off)