Obama
With the U.S. presidential elections finally here, I thought I might as well throw my opinion into the mix. After all, there's a microscopic chance that some Americans out there want me to tell them who to vote for. And for the rest of you...well, maybe you can leave me a comment or something.
I've been in favour of Barack Obama for a while now, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. People who talk about current events with me already know that I'm a kind of a socialist at heart. And while Obama is a far cry from a true social democrat, he's still the closest thing to it that the Americans have.
Which isn't really saying much, given that they only have two choices.
My support for Obama was lukewarm at first. It was mostly tactical--kind of a default position, based mostly on the fact that he was a democrat who seemed like he'd have broad appeal. At the time I was more interested in other candidates with a much lower chance of making it past the primaries, although I did say from the start that Obama was the best realistic choice.
Over the last twelve months, however, I've become increasingly impressed with the man. His public charisma is astounding, for one thing. It's led his political opponents to make fun of him for being a "rock star" or a "celebrity"...as though his popularity was a bad thing.
Actually, I think the most striking thing about Obama's public presence has more to do with his sincerity than his rock-star appeal. He never acts cynical or petty, and he always seems genuinely optimistic about the future. Those are fine qualities in a politician--although I can't deny that he's a very good public speaker, too:
The other appealing thing about Obama is his level-headedness. You can see it in the modest way that he's handled himself throughout the election campaign, and you can see it in his reactions to the global economic crisis that's unfolded over the last few months. He's managed to come across as thoughtful, intelligent, and reasonable--and his polling numbers have reacted accordingly, soaring much, much higher than they've ever been.
When their financial system began to melt down, I think perhaps American voters finally realized just how much their nation has deteriorated in recent years. And suddenly, they don't want a president who's just a "war hero", or someone that "you'd want to go have a beer with". Suddenly, the idea of a "hockey mom" sitting in the White House doesn't seem kinda cool--it just seems scary.
The simple truth is that America is in a lot of trouble right now. And when things are bad, people stop looking for a president who's "just like them" (i.e. completely unqualified.) When things are bad, people look for a president who will actually be able to fix things.
Remember this silly beer ad from a few (eight) years ago?
It's been redone as campaign ad for Obama--one of the best I've ever seen:
It kinda reminds you of better days, doesn't it?
Which brings me to the best thing about Barack Obama.
Hope.
Americans rally behind this man because he gives them hope. And after eight straight years of non-stop disaster, you can't blame them for wanting a little of that.
Global Markets
I haven't had much time for blog postings lately, hopefully that'll change soon.
Given the current economic crisis, I find this movie very interesting. And timely. And a bit of a downer, actually, since it seems to offer a brutally honest explanation for why the global economy is currently self-destructing.
Funny thing is, it was written and filmed long before any of this credit and equity market meltdown stuff started.
The Pitbull
Well, since political season is in full swing these days, I thought I'd share a particularly insightful article by Matt Taibi (from The Rolling Stone).
It's about Sarah Palin, who'll become America's first female vice president in January, assuming John McCain wins the upcoming election. And if that happens, she might end up becoming America's first female president, too.
John McCain is, after all, in his seventies, and he's had cancer. At his age, the actuarial data suggests that he'll probably become severely incapacitated (or die of old age) sometime in the next four to eight years. If that happens, the presidency would automatically pass on to Palin.
This would be a disaster, because Sarah Palin is so unfit to govern that she actually makes the current president look competent. The fact that she might one day have his job is terrifying--it really might be the most tragic example of mass lunacy that has occurred in my lifetime. Just ask Matt Damon.
This all begs the question, why? Why would people willingly elect George Bush (twice), and then go straight from him to someone like Sarah Palin?
From the article:
The great insight of the Palin VP choice is that huge chunks of American voters no longer even demand that their candidates actually have policy positions; they simply consume them as media entertainment, rooting for or against them according to the reflexive prejudices of their demographic, as they would for reality-show contestants or sitcom characters. Hicks root for hicks, moms for moms, born-agains for born-agains.
If you want, you can read the rest of Taibi's article here. I should warn you that Matt Taibi is not known for being a politically correct (or family friendly) writer, so skip it if you are easily offended.
He’s Still Right, Though
Check out this video.
Bill Maher (my favourite political commentator and comedian) once again cuts through the political rhetoric and explains how things really are:
He also unintentionally demonstrates why "They think they're better than you!" is such an effective slogan when it comes to convincing people to vote against the "liberal elites."
He's still right, though.
Awfully Fast
I ran into this sobering chart on reddit a few weeks back.
It's the kind of information that might leave you trapped in a pit of glum self-pity, if you were prone to that sort of thing. Fortunately, I've been far too busy lately for any existential introspection.
Too busy to write regular blog postings, either, come to think of it.
If that first link left you feeling like life is passing you by too quickly, then check out this video. You might find some small comfort in the fact that everything else is also happening faster than you thought it was.
I don't have any problems with China (or India), of course. For me, the real point of this video is simply that the world is changing much more rapidly than most people realize. We might only be around for a measly 936 months, but when you live in "exponential times", everything from social demographics to world power to technology starts to move awfully fast.
(Thanks to Curtis for sending me this video.)
