Ah…It’s Voting Season

Okay right now I’m sitting in my car waiting for practice to begin, and I’ve been thinking of politics. Weird huh? Getting ready to play soccer and I’m thinking of that. I’m taking a break from writing sports, Porto, Ajax, and Barcelona all won; I don’t want to discuss what happened to my Gators, and I surely don’t want to discuss the debacle of a game that Denver played…so, I’m going to write about politics. I’ve never written about politics, it’s not my norm so bear with me. I’ve been interested in this election for obvious reasons. I even watched the Presidential debate after I got home from practice, I never watch those things. I watched it on ABC because their analysts seem to be more fair when critiquing both candidates of their good and bad qualities. The one thing that I noticed and that stood out to me was that the many times when Obama had something to say, McCain would be seen with this cocky, arrogant chuckle as if to say, “My experience has taught me better, therefore I’m better.” he’s been playing that experience card a lot. Obama would do the same but he would smile may chuckle and wait his turn. It came off to me as McCain taking the debate as a joke…okay not a joke literally, but a little too light-hearted as if to say, “Why am I even up here debating with this guy, listen to what he’s saying.” ABC’s analysts pointed out how Obama would look at McCain and look into the camera with good eye contact, while McCain wouldn’t look over at Obama or at the camera, just at the moderator (whoever that was). They said Obama was more personable than McCain and nailed his responses while going after McCain. Again, to me McCain comes off here as arrogant. Even Hilary Clinton looked Obama in the eye when she debated with him. It also shows (to me) a sign of a little bit of disrespect. FOX News pointed out something different. One of their analysts–who was from the South–said he noticed that Obama at the beginning of the debate addressed McCain as “John”, while McCain addressed Obama as “Senator Obama.” Then later Obama did eventually address McCain as “Senator McCain.” Why was this important? I have no idea. The guy thought that southerners would notice that…and that’s it. He never said what “tell” it would tell to southerners and to himself, so I don’t think he knew. If anyone knows please let me know. To say the least, I think Obama presented himself more professionally in this debate, was calmer than his counterpart, and answered his questions well while going after McCain. I’m not the only one.

About McCain’s pick for V.P., I thought it was strange. From all the Republican senators he had to choose from and with many of the “favorites” who were suspected to get the nod, he chose Palin. No one–meaning, majority of American public–knew who this Sarah Palin was on day one. I have nothing against Palin. I’m gonna write it…she’s pretty hot! My initial reaction was of desperation for McCain. He was desperate and made a historic pick to slow down Obama’s momentum. It worked. I wonder if he would have chosen someone else if Obama didn’t pick his V.P. first. It was also speculated on the day he chose Palin that his pick could be to help win over more women and the so-called “disgruntled Clinton supporters” who were also women. If that’s the case–IF–then I think that’s saying how little McCain thinks of women’s intelligence and decision making. I know women in America know better than to vote someone into the highest office for the sole reason that their running mate has a pair of breasts and a vagina rather than what they, the presidential candidate, are about. I also find it kind of hypocritical for McCain to say Obama is inexperienced to lead and to quote McCain’s many (if not all) commercials, “Not ready to lead”, when he chose a just as inexperienced, if not less experienced, person for his running mate. Yes, I know she wouldn’t be president, but still, she’d be in a position of great power. I don’t understand why McCain’s people are still running this slogan when many people know this.

It may sound like it but I’m not trying to advocate for Obama here, I’m just saying what I’ve noticed from the debate. I’m young and I don’t know much if anything about politics, but recent events such as the past four to eight years, have made me lean a little bit more toward the blue side. If you didn’t like what I wrote, sorry, please visit FOX News.

Jesse, Jesse, Jesse

Double Standards. Oh, you’ve gotta love them especially if you’re on the right side of them. In this case Reverend Jesse Jackson may be on the right side of one. First of all, I had this whole post planned to write. It was gonna be good. While searching youtube, I found a couple of vlog responses to Reverend Jesse Jackson’s comments about cutting off Obama’s balls. I found one of the “cleaner” ones, and he just says what I’ve been thinking. I don’t know about Jesse Jackson and even Al Sharpton anymore.

This guy is fantastic !

Jackson says his comments were taken out of context. The media is notorious for taking soundbytes and screwing with them, not telling the whole story many of the times, but how much of a story needs to be told about what was said? He could have said the same thing, “he’s talking down to black people.” without dropping n-bombs and without wanting to cut Obama’s stuff off. I would like to add, now that the comments about Jackson referring to us African Americans as ni**ers in addition to the desire to cut off Obama’s junk, I just can’t see him as a respectable leader for civil rights (for anything really) anymore. As the guy in the video said, Jesse (sometimes Sharpton) is just a guy looking for “camera-worthy” attention.

‘In additional comments from that same conversation, first reported by TVNewser, Jackson is reported to have said Obama was “talking down to black people,” and referred to blacks with the N-word when he said Obama was telling them “how to behave.”‘ (AP)

I’m black and I take offense when anyone (ethnicity doesn’t matter) says it. Even if it’s not directed at me it still bothers me. It’s something I’ve never liked and I wasn’t raised to refer to people by that. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t been exposed to the word enough for it to mean what it means to other black people. I don’t recall hearing the word until junior high. Many black celebrities have expressed fondness for the word when the issue came up a while ago when Imus made his mistake. Celebrity opinions really don’t matter and for the most part are completely worthless. I don’t know if the n-word will ever be acceptable for me. For now, no.

Thinking about the consequences that would happen to other people if the same thing would happen to fall out of their mouths, I ask myself, what could be done about this screw up? Probably nothing! Jesse Jackson apologized and that will probably be enough to keep people happy. As a black man, he has the right to drop n-bombs whenever he wants to. It’s just a sad ridiculous fact of the double standard. Someone like Don Imus or Bill O’Riley utters the same phrase, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson along with the entire NAACP will get those men fired within a day or two, maybe hours. We saw how quick both these men worked to get Imus fired for calling members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team “…some nappy headed hoes.” We claim that, “The n-word is our word and white people can’t use it. It’s like a word of endearment, like ‘what’s up my brother.’” White people just have to accept they are on the wrong end of a touchy and complex double standard.

He should just give it up, he’s lost a lot of my respect in the short time I’ve known about him.

“I’m afraid JJ has been an embarrassment, a charlatan, and a buffoon for too long now to ever be taken seriously again. Lately it seems like there’s a kind of sad symbiosis going on where Jesse feels he has to be on camera and the networks put him on camera because he’s so willing to say outrageous things to keep himself there.” (Commented by Steve)

Well said.

Why shouldn’t some form of punishment happen to Reverend Jackson. It’s only fair. He said something incredibly stupid on air just as Imus did. Yet, I just don’t think anything other than something like a slap on the wrist will happen in the aftermath of this. I wonder…oh how I wonder, what would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. think about Jackson, yes even Shaprton?