What the rocket scientist said
I agree with almost every word the Mad Rocket Scientist said when he was explaining why he decided to vote for John McCain:
Not because I’m a huge fan of McCain, generic viagra help or Palin for that matter, tadalafil but rather, because Obama scares me.
And Obama in and of himself doesn’t scare me much, but rather, the way people respond to him does.
See, I’m of the belief that the Republican party has, for the most part, lost their way, and are now another party for big government just so long as the growth is in the security and enforcement divisions (buy the public off with security), and the Democrats have become the party of the government giveaway (as in, let’s give tax money or relief or benefits to the “little guy” in order to buy the public off). Both are crap as far as I’m concerned, so when I vote, I vote with the intention of keeping both parties with enough power to keep the at each others throats. This helps a bit to keep wasteful spending down and to bring about laws and budgets that have the most extreme crap culled from them. It’s far from perfect, but right now it is the best I can hope for.
So, since we have a Congress with strong DNC control, I want the veto pen to be in the hands of another party, and since we have a two party system, that means the GOP. Since this election cycle does not show the weakening of the DNC control of either house of Congress, I have to vote for McCain on that basis alone.
But what about Obama?
Obama as a politician does not excite me. He does cause me fear either, because let’s face it, as a politician, he’s pretty lackluster.
But as a public speaker, he’s got Charisma. Other politicians may not respond to him very strongly, but people do. People respond to him the way people respond to movie stars, or Elvis, or the Beatles. He is a cult of personality unto himself, even if he did not intend it. People love him, and borderline worship him, which all by itself is pretty fucking creepy. Political leaders should not be that popular, and that leads to the big problem.
The big problem is that any person who runs for federal political office, especially the top office, has to be a bit narcissistic. A person can not actively pursue that seat of power without being in love with themselves, and enjoying the affirmation of it. And his wife is not helping things either, because she sells him just as hard as anyone else. And no one, I don’t care how strong their character, or how strong their mental discipline, can stand in the face of such massive adoration of the people and NOT begin to buy it, NOT begin to believe that maybe they really are “All that and a bag of chips”.
Also, such adoration means that when the guy in charge screws up, people are much more apt to give him or her a pass, which is a bad thing, since it encourages a person to be careless the next time as well.
THAT scares me away from Obama.
Politicians are supposed to be public servants not pop idols.
A democracy is safest when it regards its leaders with a healthy cynicism. Every leader I ever recall seeing being adored in the news reels ended up being guys who should never have been given the keys to their governments.
Barack Obama is not a God, or a savior, or our “only hope.”
He’s a politician.
Quit it with the giant rallies.
Cut out the literal singing of his praises.
Start looking at the guy with the sort of healthy suspicion that every man who seeks power deserves.
Honestly, I’m with the Rocket Scientist here, you’re creeping me the hell out.
Add comment October 28th, 2008