In which I try to talk about politics and rhetoric

I'm kind of sick of hearing about Obama's rhetoric as not living up to his message of "hope" and is different than what he campaigned. No kidding. Do we really need to have a lecture on rhetoric being dependent on context and audience? I like President Obama, but I also acknowledge that he has the prerogative (and I think responsibility) to use his powers of rhetoric pragmatically.

Which leads to Obama being the new FDR. I mean, he's already being put on that pedestal so many complain about. FDR was so popular and looked up to during his led to a democratic party reign for years after his presidency. Basically, Roosevelt had the advantage of taking office after an extremely unpopular president during a time of economic concern and then doing as much as possible as soon as he got in office. Sounds pretty familiar.

I'm just not sure what all the complaining is doing. It's healthy to find fault within government so that it's held responsible for its actions. It's good to understand how people are trying to manipulate you with their rhetoric. But it's also lame to complain about things that are vague and confusing and no can even know. I don't know how the stimulus package will work. I just know that economics are complicated and that there are too many factors that go into to really have a vehement stance on it. Who knows what more government spending will do? Just like with FDR, people are looking for a solution, so why knock a nice man who speaks well to get something done?

Happy inauguration day!

Good luck, President Obama!

And for some inaugural fun facts: Inauguration Sensation! (Blonder and thinnerrrr)

Terrifying Politics

I don't think I could say anything to add onto the scariness of uber-conservative viewpoint in America that's found in this video:



Sometimes I wonder how people can think like this and be so ignorant. Where do they get their news? I mean, I guess mainstream media is from the "elite", so they must not be watching or reading anything that refutes misconceptions about Obama. I mean, I was raised in a fairly conservative suburb in Washington state, but the closest I got to discrimination was people making fun of the Russians, Ukrainians, or people from other Slovak countries. Certainly racism and discrimination aren't gone from America, but to have it be so rampant is amazing to me.

Really, this is just to say that sometimes I want to gore my eyes out when I think about politics and its capacity for harm.

Adorable Politics

Um, Barack Obama holding babies: Yes We Can (hold babies).

Palin vs. The Women

This is why I love Pajiba so much:
Dustin Rowles's review of The Women

The Everyman Candidate: William Henry Harrison's legacy still working after all these years*

One of the most disturbing things about living in Utah is how many people love the Republican party and George Bush. One of the biggest reasons: because he's like me! Do you want someone just like you in the White House? I always assumed that someone smart with an ability to clearly convey ideas was desirable, but apparently not. Apparently I'm elitist.

Judith Warner, in her op-ed yesterday, had this to say:

One of the worst poisons of the American political climate right now, the thing that time and again in recent years has led us to disaster, is the need people feel for leaders they can “relate” to. This need isn’t limited to women; it brought us after all, two terms of George W. Bush. And it isn’t new; Americans have always needed to feel that their leaders were, on some level, people like them.

But in the past, it was possible to fill that need through empathetic connection. Few Depression-era voters could “relate” to Franklin Roosevelt’s patrician background, notes historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. “It was his ability to connect to them that made them feel they could connect to him,” she told me in a phone interview.

The age of television, Goodwin believes, has made the demand for connection more immediate and intense. But never before George W. Bush did it quite reach the beer-drinking level of familiarity. “Now it’s all about being able to see your life story in the candidate, rather than the candidate, with empathy, being able to relate to you.”

How is that not completely disturbing? Is it too much to ask that the people in charge of my country are smarter than me? I hope they are, because--even if I do fancy myself pretty smart--I think I would kind of suck at governing.

Although, thinking through problems and coming up with the best solutions isn't why we should be voting for people. It's all about personality. Apparently really rural ones**:



It comes down to this: Americans want to believe in the American dream and rising to the top, but at the same time we want to feel like we're better than everyone else, whether through money, education, or just out-ignorancing everyone else. I don't understand "We're for freedom, but we'll always be better than you."

Anyway, because the West Wing applies to everything in modern politics, let's bring up the reelection from season 3. President Bartlet has always been smart, but he's running against a man who trying to relate to everyone else. This is the always-wise Toby's advice:

You don't want to lose as the smartest kid in class who's running against an everyman. But I'm telling you, be the smartest kid in your class...Make this an election about smart and stupid, about engaged and not, qualified and not.

And it looks like this is exactly the kind of election we're going to get this year. Except this time you add age and Obama looks like a precocious little kid. But I wanted the smartest kid in the class in office, and if I can't have a fictional Jeb Bartlet in office, I'll take Obama.


*Election of 1840
**Try to say out loud that without sounding like an idiot.

Politically relevant movies you should watch:

1. In the Name of the Father (1993) tells the story of the wrongfully accused Guildford Four--four innocent Irishmen and women convicted for IRA bombings in England. In a move that feels similar to post-9/11 US terrorist investigations, Britain passed laws in the 1970s to detain terrorists for a week without any formal charges. In the film we see how harsh interrogations lead to desperate accusations and false admission of guilt. Based on real events, it's chilling to see how a desperate government would quickly accuse and punish innocent people because of popular pressure. Cutting down rights doesn't necessarily bring safety, as proved by this case.
Cinematic side note: The script allows Daniel Day-Lewis to make this a great coming-of-age story as well as political drama as we see his character grow up in prison with his father as a cell mate. Great acting all around.


2. Wag the Dog (1997) is a political comedy that's funny because it's true. A small group invents a war between the United States and Albania to distract from a presidential sex scandal close to reelection. Everything from war footage, inspirational songs, and an improvised war hero help to create the perfect fake war. While this was eerily predictive of the 1998 Clinton sex scandal, the paranoia still exists that people only know what the media tells them and that the media can be manipulated. Considering the proliferation of media in the last decade, I can only imagine how much more a situation like this would consume America before anyone caught on. Who could tell if it hasn't happened already.
Cinematic side note: Everyone ever is in this movie. Robert DeNiro is surprisingly subtle and funny, and Dustin Hoffman gives one of his first performances as the go-to crazy guy. Anne Heche is relatable and fun as she is forced to go along with every scheme to protect the President's image.

My Hopes for Super Tuesday

I want my president to be eloquent and inspiring. I don't want to be embarrassed every time he/she opens his/her mouth. I want to be proud about my country. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Being president probably hasn't been as a big of a disappointment since Herbert Hoover. People are desperate for a strong leader they can get behind, and I think it's time the presidency is legitimate again.

No one can dispute the political exhaustion of America these days. 24-hour news personally makes me sick as it hashes and rehashes every detail of politics. Debates are reduced to buzz words and catch phrases. Party lines are defined by abortion, gay rights, and war while other issues are ignored.

How do we open dialog in politics? It's notoriously combative, and maybe that's the way it should be, but I can't help respecting someone who wants to talk openly and honestly about issues facing America. That's why I love Barack Obama. His speeches are inspiring, his writing well thought out and thorough. I want a president who sounds smart, and I feel like Obama is someone who I would be honored to call my president.

I want someone smart in office, no matter what party they're on. I'm an independent voter because I honestly can't say one side is better or defines me more than another. A recent article by Stanley Fish disputed my very existence. Sure, our political system is driven by a party system, but what it really comes down to is that I can't stomach a lot of the partisan disagreements. I'm convinced answers come somewhere in the middle. I'm cynical about government and can only get excited about politics if someone shows a glimmer of humanity and idealism.

Honestly, I'd rather have a president dream big than stick to the status quo. I want someone to get America thinking, debating, and coming up with solutions. I want a president who tries. We need a new FDR to restore hope and I think that Obama could be that man.