I’ve become kind of obsessed with the band Fun. The whole being obsessed with a band thing doesn’t happen to me much anymore, not like it did back in my teens and twenties when I bought new music every week and played it until the record skipped (okay, by my twenties, it was CDs, but you know what I mean).
There’s a line in the opening song on the album (Some Nights Intro) where they say, “Tea parties and Twitter, I’ve never been so bitter”. That line has been ringing through my head as I am inundated with ads from both Presidential candidates this last month or so. Pennsylvania is a battle ground state, of course, so the ads are just fucking AWFUL. From both sides.
Which makes me pretty sick.
There’s no way Romney is going to be able to convince me to stop being Team Obama, of course. Particularly with the addition of Paul Ryan to the ticket. That dude is a much more slickly packaged Santorum, as far as I can tell. Not only does Mr. Ryan want to replace Medicare with coupons (sigh), but he’s one of those Personhood dudes. In this article at Jezebel, it mentions his stance on the issue:
2. Personhood. Yeah, he’s one of those.
Personhood, or granting the full rights of citizenship to fertilized embryos, is an idea so patently absurd that the Oklahoma Supreme Court referred to it as “clearly unconstitutional” in a unanimous decision to bar a Personhood referendum from the state’s ballots this fall. Mississippi, the most conservative state in the US, rejected personhood resoundingly last fall. Colorado’s rejected it twice, and will probably reject it again when it’s put up to a vote for the third time.
Anyway, Ryan loves personhood. He loves the idea that life begins before pregnancy begins, when the sperm touches the egg. Because, to paraphrase Amanda Marcotte, sperm is magic. Ryan loves personhood so much that he cosponsored legislation that would have defined “person” as any human tissue from the moment of conception, which would have completely outlawed abortion and probably outlawed most forms of birth control and IVF.
Not only that, but apparently his personhood legislation didn’t mention the words “woman” or “mother” ONCE.
FUCK THAT GUY. Yes, that’s my smart and elegant political commentary. FUCK THAT GUY.
But, all that anger toward the Romney-Ryan ticket aside, at the heart of the issue is this: like most of the liberals, I’m finding it incredibly hard to work up a huge amount of enthusiasm for campaigning for Obama. Don’t get me wrong – I totally want Obama to win.
But there’s a part of me that’s looking longingly at Hilary Clinton and wondering if I backed the wrong horse.
One thing that’s clear to me these days, too, is how much my social media saturation means that I am BOMBARDED continually with a wealth of badly spun links and information, as well as many downright untruths (again, from both sides). Because I work hard to listen to both sides (thanks to social media, I have a fair number of conservative friends these days, and yes, I really mean friends) I see lots of conservative propaganda as well as the liberal stuff that ends up in my email inbox.
I’ve never felt so bitter. It all just seems like such a fucking circus of emotional manipulation, of bullshit, even of hate. In addition, it seems to me that pretty much everyone has made up their minds, doesn’t it? So in a sense this campaigning seems redundant. It feels like no one is interested in being educated about issues, about learning the in-depth nuances, or about really working to get fully informed. This is part of why I click-through on the conservative links I see, because I’m hoping I might actually learn something.
Sadly, that’s rare. Usually it’s just more hyperbole.
I’ve been watching The Newsroom on HBO (have you? It’s fantastic, and Dumb and Dumber Jeff Daniels is actually pretty hot in his role) and while I realize it likely falls firmly in the camp of liberal propaganda, I do love the way the show highlights the shortcomings of our current media systems. If you’ve seen it, you likely saw the segment where they dissected Nancy Grace’s coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. It was chilling – particularly the way it stole people’s attention from much larger issues.
I know I’m kind of rambling through stuff here, but that’s pretty much how my head feels. Full of rambling thoughts about politics, plus an intense weariness, and a big dash of bitterness.
Only three and half months more of this shit.
Sigh.
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
I just wrote about this a bit this morning as well- about time we all concentrated on what we do agree on rather than divide us piece by piece and then try to govern by force and tyranny.
I just wrote about this a bit this morning as well- about time we all concentrated on what we do agree on rather than divide us piece by piece and then try to govern by force and tyranny.
I just wrote about this a bit this morning as well- about time we all concentrated on what we do agree on rather than divide us piece by piece and then try to govern by force and tyranny.
I was very bitter for the last round (2008). So much so that this time I am avoiding lots of political talk and my fave political blogs until it is over and done with. I will argue with no one on Facebook or private forums. I will vote the way I want (Obama/Biden) and let it all go. I just cannot go down that road again.
Yup, that’s where I’m at, too… I can’t afford to get nearly as into this election season as I did the 2008 season. Maybe part of it is that Romney seems like the best of the options the Republicans threw out there. Do I want him as president? No; he seems rather clueless about important topics like, oh, foreign policy. But hey, he’s not Santorum! Or Palin!
I love Hillary. I have so much respect for the role she’s played over the last few years.
I feel sorry for her. Certainly now, after her losing but crbisdeoanle effort, she would rather do anything other than get up in front of God and everyone in her Sunday best and sing the praises of her vanquisher. But you’re right, if Obama loses—and I believe at this point that he’s going to lose—she stands to lose more than she ever could in a mere national primary race.Do I have Helsinki Syndrome or what?yours/peter.
Ah well, I would have totally voted for Hillary. I didn’t vote for Obama the last time. I am feeling backed into it this time. The media and their look something shiny–let’s not talk in depth about the economy. Let’s talk about chicken sandwiches and celebrity break ups! Shiny! People can pick a clear side! We can all get worked up about it and talk about it around the watercooler. (err is that really Twitter/FB/Blogs now?) No one has the attention span to battle numbers and theory and sadly too many are lacking the background even if they have the attention span.
When I read this I’m glad I chose not to spend money on cable. On “free” TV I only get reception from the stations in Spanish which, while helping me learn Spanish, means I miss all the electioneering. I wonder (as I write another big check for COBRA) how much healthcare all the money spent on years of campaigning on all sides would buy the entire country? This process is very broken, but too many vested interests keep us from fixing it.
Sure don’t know what the answer is, but feel your frustration.
And my smart and elegant response to this is…wait for it…DITTO. I’m so articulate. :)
I know who I am voting for, so I have given up on the ads. Yes, politics is making me bitter. I know, from the experience of living in MA, that Romney is clueless, but a good guy. He says what is needed to get elected and then does the right thing.
Ryan, he’s not as smart as his supporters think he is.
I am not going to allow myself to be manipulated into stress. I have enough of that shit at home.
I’m on the other side of the aisle and feel pretty much the same way about the entire charade. I especially agree with TW’s comment about the media trying to distract us all from any sort of real conversation. It’s maddening. November is, luckily, not too far off.
I’m right there with ya.
Fuck that guy! And I totally have a crush on Will McAvoy.
I vote with my uterus, and who will stay out of it, every time. The choice is clear for me, and I try to ignore all the spin from both sides. Now my beloved NPR is getting into it and it is exhausting already. I want November to come quicker.
Man do you make me glad we got rid of cable! We have Netflix. Lots of great shows (I am currently on a Britsh murder mystery kick) and no commercials. It totally rocks!
there’s something here for everyone, cecilyk — a reference to ‘fun,’ my 9-year-old’s favorite band and a second-guessing on the hillary/barack question for my tenure-track, librarian friend. i have some linking to do now.
and i like libby’s elegant solution to cutting through all of the rhetoric at the fore. uterus politics all the way.
I’m in Wisconsin, so I’m with you with the battleground state ad overload.
You know what I try to do when that bitter feeling creeps in? I think about the mess and ultra-bitter feelings right after the Bush/Gore/Florida disaster and how the Onion came out with the perfect issue that week. It was all about the (non-existent) bloodshed and mayhem all across the country in response to the election, with pictures of things on fire and panic in the streets. It struck me how lucky we are that we live in a country where that kind of extreme is a joke. For many it wouldn’t be. So it’s ugly and it’s disheartening, but it’s downright civil compared to much of history. I’ll take it.
All of this makes me want to move to my own island nation and only invite my friends to come and live with me. I would be a benevolent dictator. Which certainly can’t be worse than we’ve already got. Oy.
I try to avoid the political stuff as much as I can. There are certain folks I BLOCK on FB and whatnot so I don’t see them ranting. I don’t care which side you are on. They are awful, awful, awful commericals, ads, etc. And! The best is the other day my son was on a kids’ video game site and a political ad came on in between levels of the game. Talk about furious!
Hey, Cecily, I don’t live in a battleground state and I’m glad for that every day. I would no doubt feel the same way you do about the election. Didn’t Shakespeare say it right – “a plague on both your houses?” I receive plenty of e-mails from my left-leaning orgs and I delete all of them. I refuse to participate in the games the campaign is playing. But I will do some phone calling for Obama at some point, and the hubs and I are thinking about travelling somewhere on election day to help with get-out-the-vote work.
I did want to comment on your Hillary related remorse. Four years ago we argued about this at our house a lot. My husband was a Hillary backer, I was not. I really can never forgive her for voting for the Iraq war. Ever. Even after she “apologized.” I find her to be a very politically motivated actor. Sure, she’s on the same side I am. Yes, her achievements are remarkable and I support everything she’s done as Secretary of State. In fact, I think she has found the exact right position to be in and has excelled.
If she would have been President I think we would have had a much worse time in terms of the political cacophany coming from the right than what we have lived with under Obama.
We just came back from visiting the Clinton library in Little Rock with our kids. It was very educational for them and a little trip down memory lane for us. Lots of things that happened from ’92 to ’00 were awesome. Some were really awful. There’s no “perfect” presidency. Really.
You know what, though? There are an awful lot of people who hate Obama because they don’t want a black man for president, although they pretend it is something else. I think Hillary would have inspired similar hatred since she is a woman. She would have had just as hard a time getting anything done.
In addition to Kathleen’s comment, I’d just note that all politicians are politically motivated actors in one way or another and that they need to be. I actually think some of the current gridlock is because the hardliners on both sides (although the right is more intransigent and more likely to extract a political price from their own side) have forced politicians away from compromise. In a perfect world, everything would go my way all the time, of course, but in reality, I think it’s both reasonable and proper for politicians on both sides of the aisle to make compromises on issues in order to get the important things done. Unfortunately, there’s very little compromise and very little working together these days.
(I am not talking about phony “bipartisanship,” just for the record. And you are absolutely right that there is no perfect presidency.)
May this will make you feel more enthusiastic about Obama (or maybe you’ll just find it to be more biased commentary) It’s at least worth a try: http://90days90reasons.com/
Especially read to “opening salvo” to get feeling more motivated. http://90days90reasons.com/opening.php
I just read the opening salvo–thanks for sharing this site. I’m going to pass it around. It’s good to see all of this in one place!
What is amazing and horrifying to me is the way there seem to be parallel universes going on. Republicans/Tea Partyists seem to be living in a completely different universe than the one I am living in. I keep trying to understand their point of view, but when I see family members who have linked to some horrible article that basically lies about Obama, among other topics, or is about how their religious rights are being violated because they can’t impose them on the rest of the country, I just don’t understand. How can people think this way? It feels like they have turned off their brains and are just quoting from people like Rush Limbaugh. And yet I feel sure they feel the same way about me and my opinions when they see my links.
I think those people are purposefully watching/listening/reading a very narrow set of information available in the media. It is our own responsibility, IMO, to get information from unbiased sources, or at least if you know your source is biased or likely to be biased, find an alternate source for some balance. It’s ridiculous that the media outlets are so biased, on airwaves that the public owns. grrrr.
Anyway, I think the best you can do when faced with friends or family who are channeling Limbaugh or similar is to bring in another viewpoint, hopefully one that is not so blatantly biased. I wouldn’t counter with Maddow, for example. But I would bring in info from NPR or the NYT or Andrew Sullivan, for example. Gently.
I am terrified at the thought of living in a Romney-lead nation. I hate his politics–both fiscally and socially. But I agree–Obama has been lackluster. Still though, I would rather have 4 more years of lackluster than (potentially) 8 years of beating my head against a wall. Rock & a hard place…
As an African-American woman that just hit her 30s, I should be the prime cheerleader for the Obama campaign. But I have to admit, Hilary has been entering my mind in the past year or so. Deciding who to support was very difficult last time, since I am a woman and a person of color. I’m now worrying that maybe I chose wrong. Last election, the Obama campaign wasn’t dirty, and I appreciated that. The topics were shared, his personal (and spiritual) life were questioned and he took it in stride. This time around, I’m pretty ashamed that they feel the need to stoop to Romney’s level. Don’t get me wrong: Obama has my vote this time around. Romney/Ryan is a complete horror show, plain and simple. BUT, I have been following the Senatorial and House Rep campaigns. Unlike last time, I may not go all democrat. I’ve heard some Republicans within those races give some valid points and, believe it or not, I’m impressed with some of their agendas. I’m keeping my eyes open in the next few months, not on the Presidential race, but the ones that may actually cause change in the next few years.
I’m a conservative (wait! put away your pitchforks! I come in peace!) and I really don’t know what I’m going to do in November. The Republican party has become a caricature of itself in a “race to the bottom” style of pandering to extremists and I hate that. I can’t support it, and I won’t. I know I said I don’t know what to do in November, but I do know that I will NEVER vote for someone who wants to take away my rights as a woman. If I vote for Obama, no one tell my father, okay?
There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you vote your heart and mind. Your dad would understand because he loves you. But you might want to keep your choices private just the same.
Anne, perhaps you are a libertarian? But you aren’t a conservative by definition.
Yeah, that’s a big part of why I try not to get too involved in politics. I care more about the issues than the labels. I really don’t care about the labels at all.
Labels aren’t necessarily a bad thing. They are a sort of “shorthand” way of telling people in just a very few words important information that you want them to know about you. ;-)
Yea, you backed the wrong horse.
No president has ever won re-election with the economy in the toilet – the one exception perhaps being FDR but navigating WWII saved his presidency.
But it hasn’t happened since and it won’t happen this time.
Hillary would have been a more moderate president like her husband.
Despite what the right says, Obama has governed very moderately and I’m not sure that Hillary Clinton would’ve been more of a centrist (or less bitterly despised by the other side, as Karen and Kathleen noted above). His signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, originated from ideas made popular by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. His more moderate governing philosophy is why many people of more liberal persuasions (like Cecily) are feeling less than enthusiastic about him this time around.
I respectfully disagree Dawn. From the far left I suppose he looks more moderate. But from where I’m sitting he is too far left of center.
Hillary learned from her husband’s presidency that you have to govern from the middle, particularly if you want a second term.
The Heritage Foundation opposes Obamacare.
The Heritage Foundation does oppose ACA (“Obamacare”), but that doesn’t negate the fact that it was based upon ideas they championed for years.
I ALWAYS thought Hillary Clinton was a better choice than Obama. As a social liberal but fiscal conservative, I really cannot support either Obama or Romney without major reservations.
My number one concern is the economy, and I don’t think Obama is capable of fixing the economy. I believe that he’s a really good person– a true idealist, but that makes it harder for him to get things done as president.
Hillary Clinton is more pragmatic and willing to compromise to get things done. Bill Clinton reached across the aisle repeatedly. He was a true moderate, and he got the economy back on track after George H.W. Bush. Obama’s spent a lot of his energy on very unpopular issues. Even after the country starting freaking out over Obamacare, he pushed it through using a reconciliation process.
I think Hillary would have found a way to push through the most important aspects of Obamacare without creating such a divisive issue that is actively (due to unintended consequences of some of the language in the bill) harming the economy. Obamacare comes up in just about every conversation I have with business owners as a concern that discourages hiring.
As a social liberal, I want people covered. The “pre-existing” condition issue and other problems fixed by Obamacare SHOULD have been fixed, but the bill is not one that I can support in its entirety. Hillary learned from what happened when she pushed healthcare in the 90s. I really believe she would have found a better solution. I could have voted for her and been happy with my vote– and I say this as a registered Republican.
I’m truly lost and without a home politically. The Republicans don’t represent me. I’m pro-gay marriage and politically pro-choice (even though I do believe that abortion ends a life). And I strongly believe that we need a federal and sate safety net that involves SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP and other assistance programs. But the Democrats don’t represent me either. They seem not to understand the nuances of economic theory. Since they need union votes in order to maintain power politically, they will not face problems involving public employees unions and pensions which are crippling our educational system and which will ultimately bankrupt our cities and our government.
If I didn’t want to vote in primaries, I’d register as an independent. Picking a party feels like a horrible choice between my heart and my head. The social issues touch my heart. But the economic issues make me fear for the future of our country.
Both parties are HOPELESSLY out of touch. I know a great number of people who feel as I do, and their choice comes down to “who do I think will harm the country less in the next four years.” Neither candidate is right for America, but I also don’t think our political system is capable of nominating a socially-liberal, fiscally-conservative, political-moderate right now.
It REALLY pisses me off that Republicans are wasting their time on social issues to cater to their base. I don’t care if gays get married, and the Republican fixation on this issue just infuriates me. I hate abortion, but I support choice because women would otherwise die from illegal abortions– increasing the tragedy. Ultimately, I care if the government can balance its budget and increase economic incentives for job creation.
There’s a BIG part of me that thinks voting Republican is the least damaging decision because they have a better plan to fix the economy, and I believe (I hope) I can rely on the Supreme Court to block the anti-choice and anti-gay impulses of the Republican Party. I believe the Supreme Court will uphold the right to choose and eventually uphold the right to gay marriage. Others may disagree with my logic, but this is how I’m attempting to make a decision between two imperfect candidates when I’d prefer to vote “Neither” or “Hillary Clinton.” I still cringe at the thought of voting for Romney though.
My decision might change by election day if Obama can prove he has a real plan to fix the economy. But “raising taxes” is a tactic and not a plan. Unless it is combined with real actions to balance the budget, reduce expenses and reform social security and other programs that are ballooning out of control, I do not believe tax increases alone will improve the economy. If you want to raise revenue, it should be combined with reform. Obama has ideas on how to help people in need (which I like), but I don’t see the ideas on how to pay for them (just taxing the “rich” won’t raise enough revenue to cover our current entitlement programs or even just social security).
I will gladly pay my “share” if taxes are raised, but I may have to reduce the number of people I hire or the amount (although not the percentage) of take-home pay that I donate to charity. It would be nice if I were convinced that the government would use the additional tax dollars more efficiently than I would to create jobs and help others.
Living in Ohio, I know what you mean about the adds. I hardly watch TV anymore because of them, ha!
A different Kathleen here.
Exactly! I like the idea of voting with my uterus; seems that’s what I’ve been doing all along. Though it’s probably now done with more concern for my daughter’s.
And hurrah on your obsession with fun. Daughter has been following them for years; have lost count of how many concerts she’s dragged me to. So nice to see the boys hit the big time, though we’re both still hoping they don’t get so big that they can’t come out and mingle with fans after their shows.
The Paul Ryan guy, I just found out, went to the same college as me.
Sadly, this does not make me care even more slightly about politics.
Now, back to the most important person in the universe – moi.
i just started following you after attending your session at BlogHer and when i read this post all i can think is “a girl after my heart”. i completely agree with you, politics today is just plain awful. I’m a democrat and who I am voting for is pretty clear :-) Kudos to you for creating a forum where we can talk politics in a refreshing and light way without any drama.
Oh my gosh…all I keep thinking is make it stop. MAKE. IT. STOP. And instead, it just gets worse and worse. It’s so discouraging. We wonder why there are so many bullies…just watch politics and FOX News for a little while…and it doesn’t seem like such a mystery anymore. Sigh.
In New York, I voted for Hillary when she ran originally. Her opponent ran on the “I am not Hillary” platform, so that did it for me! He had no other opinions or ideas. However, as my senator, she was a disappointment to me after the milk issues. Some dairy farmers in upstate NY had *routine* milk contamination issues. They went on NPR (?) and explained to the audience that this is normal and this is why milk is *always* tested and *no* foul play was suspected, even though they had to toss lots of milk. Nobody was ever in any danger. This is business as usual. Hillary, however, took this as an opportunity to fight (imaginary) domestic terrorists, claiming that it was intentional and it would be investigated and so forth.
Just for that, I never cast another ballot for her. You should check basic facts
before you yell “terrorism” at the top of your lungs.
So, no. I don’t think you backed the wrong horse. Obama is a better catch.
My concern with Obama is that he is not always wise or strategic about when he chooses to push a cause. That’s my 2 cents!
Found this website: http://90days90reasons.com/ and am hoping it will be the alka-seltzer for this election. I cannot, in good faith, vote for a Republican. I live in Ohio (another battleground) and the commercials are non-stop for federal and state positions. I’m beginning to wonder if truth still exists or if EVERYTHING is a spin.
Cecily, I am with you on the slick and the sick adverts. I know who I will be voting for, and no, I don’t want to have dinner with him. I mean, really? Is this a game show? I want my President to have more important things to do than have dinner with me.
As for the R/R ticket. There are no words!
YES, exactly. I know who I’m voting for, but I’m quite tempted not to vote at all, just because the awful ads on BOTH sides are nauseating, and I am extremely disappointed in my chosen candidate for sinking to that level. I expect better. However, I cannot vote for his opponent for a number of reasons.
It is exhausting and disheartening and I cannot wait until it’s over. I am actually already hoping to have a better choice in the NEXT election–how sad is that?
You are so right on all points but “sperm is magic” has me grinning. Having just come back from a trip out of the country I have to laugh because that really is what it is all about here but how in the world can I explain that to my fiscally conservative socially liberal European relatives? We live in crazy town here during election years. And is it just me or has the lying (blatant!) gotten worse? Will they even be able to have a debate and stay on one topic? It’s like a bitter married couple argument — “Well you always…” “Well you never..” “But you …” “You’re the one who…” – ugh.
The ads are killing me, too. And I live in what is usually a hotly contested House race as well, so I have that to look forward to, adding to the super awesomeness of PA in an election year. DVR for the win…
http://www.heritage.org/multimedia/audio/heritage-on-rush-4-1-10
R’s all the way for me!
Republican (only if that means conservative)
Romney
Ryan
Respect (what I need to be when talking to the D’s)
I’m not sure bitter is the word I’d use. Weary. Exhausted. Those are more accurate. We live in NH so we’ve had pretty much an endless campaign since, oh, about January 2005? But our choice is easy — our daughter is disabled, and the R/R plan to defund medicaid (aka that thing that actually pays for long term care of the disabled and elderly, something neither private insurance nor medicare will do) will directly affect her quality of life, and sooner rather than later. No thanks. You attack my child and you do not even get a chance at my vote.
I voted Hill! And I am STILL pissed she didn’t win!
Florida resident here so yeah…
I’ve been tired of the disgustingness. It’s been nonstop since B was elected (yeah we’re cool like that :P) and I don’t see it stopping until some Republican wins because Dems are too timid.
I took this quiz at http://www.isidewith.com and it lined me up with Jill Stein first, and B second. So now I’m really torn. I want a third party so bad. But if I vote for a third party, I understand there’s a good chance it’s a vote for Republicans. We really do need more alternatives though. Seriously. I think it would be a much better place if there were more candidates to choose from.
Oh and I think PACs should be destroyed immediately. How the HELL did those even HAPPEN!? Ugh makes me mad.
One of the underlying problems with the US political system is the amount of money it costs to be a candidate. If the state paid most campaign costs, and public donations were capped/open for public scrutiny/monitored, then you’d really get a picture of who owns who. At the moment I would guarantee that most politicians, and probably all presidents are not working for the people. You are right about political advertising being emotional manipulation with no regard for facts. The rest of the world watches the US and some of us wonder why the people put up with it.
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