No matter which of the two major candidates wins this November, little will change in the manner in which this country is run. If Barack Obama wins, surely there will be some social changes. Many African-Americans, and even other minorities, will feel empowered by his victory. Just as importantly, poor people and those from single parent families can claim that same feeling of empowerment. Now, we can’t all be talented and hard working enough to get into Harvard and become President, but I just graduated from college and come from a single parent home, and Obama’s rise certainly reassures me that anything is possible in my future.
Mostly, though, we are in dire straits. When resolving to point out why almost every politician is bad news, one must remember that DoubleSpeak is invariably involved, so let’s start with what does not make sense about the two candidates. Obama and McCain say that they’ll cut taxes for nearly every American (including me, although having no income exempts me anyway), they fail to address the real problem: too much government. There’s too much spending, too much Fed, no free market or free trade, too much federal power and a slew of other issues which neither will even consider. Neither is anti-war. Obama will end the Iraq War, but will not rule out the Bush Doctrine (in practice, anyway), which (listen up Gov. Palin) allows for blatant violation of sovereignty. McCain was tortured for crying out loud, and still supports more and more war, more and more Defense spending. In fact, McCain could win major points with his base by trying to close expensive foreign military bases and telling those surrender loving Europeans to start defending their own turf. The hyporcrisy is so thick that just writing the last paragraph has made me physically tired, and I barely scratched the surface.
This brings me to my point: in politics, when one sees a problem, the correct method for resolving said problem is to ignore it. Third parties want ballot access and involvement in debates? Ignore them. The Fed creates booms and busts and inflation and has massive conflicts of interest with the same businesses it bails out? Ignore it. We don’t have a viable monetary system and are Johannes Gutenberg-ing our way into oblivion? Ignore it. Constitution in your way? Ignore it. The list goes on.
The two parties resolve their issues as such: identify a problem, break it down into a microcosm of the actual issue, then create a false choice and social dichotomy such that the American public feels as though there are only two viable solutions. Then the two parties create platforms so similar that the choice becomes a personal matter instead of a philosophical one. Citizens feel they must vote for the lesser of two evils, sacrificing their hopes and dignity. If one feels one’s choice is evil, even if lesser than the other evil, one’s expectations are lowered. Thus, one is not surprised by any behavior, from Barney Frank bailing out a major donor to his campaign in Fannie and Freddie, to wholesome Republicans having gay sex in public places, to a President with little grasp of English grammar.
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