Enough With The ImPOTUS

It’s been a while, but I’m still here. I have a multitude of blogs to write and there’s a chance that many of them will probably seem outdated and irrelevant by the time I finally get to post them, but today I felt the need to say my piece before the world celebrates/commiserates/whatever. As with most of my writings I don’t know where I’ll be going with this, but I’ll see you on the other side:

The last few weeks here in Australia, and no doubt in many other countries around the world, have seen an abundance of information, reports, statistics and much more regarding the soon-to-be-held US election. On the internet this is even more rampant. I’m not sure what the reaction is on Facebook but on Twitter it’s practically non-stop. Everyone is an armchair American. I don’t blame the majority of people – the media saturation has almost been enough to make us forget what country we’re living in, but I’ve come to a point where I feel the need to say something to people who are getting on social media and distinctly telling Americans, or pleading with them, how they should vote.

‘Why?’ I hear you ask? Well, if everyone else gets to have an opinion and wars with people on Twitter and such, I might as well try and get my piece in before the results are in.

I’m not pro-Republican or pro-Democrat, I honestly don’t give a shit how their country is run. Given the reaction of many other people I would, however, seem to be in a minority. Perhaps I should contextualise first.

As a young, politically conscious man I always saw myself as a bit of a center-rightist. As I’ve gotten older I’ve had to reconsider this and look at the realities of my life. I’m for gun control, I’ve got no problem with gay marriage, I love marijuana and have little time or respect for the police (as you already know). Climate change is undeniable, whether it’s solely due to us, or to do with us rapidly accelerating a natural process, and I also think Alan Jones is a cunt.  In general I have nothing but respect for... the majority... of people. This led me to realise the fact that maybe the reason I considered myself right-leaning stemmed primarily from my abject hatred of extreme leftists. I’ve got friends who hold much more liberal views than mine, and I’ve got no problem with them.

The people that irk me are those on the left who demand respect, demand that their opinions be listened to, will maintain an ignorance of “you’re wrong” to such a point of stubbornness that you want to grab their head and smash it into their vegetarian lasagne repeatedly. We all know those people, and LET ME BE CLEAR – there are just as many of them on the right. We all know this. People on the right have been called extremists for such a long time it’s almost become part of the brand, and as such their counterparts on the left have considered themselves ‘immune’ from these labels, when, in my own personal dealings and attempts to have an interesting discussion with various individuals, I have come across many. If you sit on the left and you refuse to admit that anyone you associate with can be, at times, considered politically extreme, then you’re in denial. Hell, you may be the exact person I’m talking about, already coming up with ideas on how to lambast me.

Anyway back to the point; a significant amount of people I follow on Twitter, primarily celebrities, and primarily from outside America, have spent the day Tweeting to their American followers to go out there and vote. No worries – I’m all for democratic participation, particularly in a nation where voting isn’t compulsory. There have also been plenty of Tweets from the people I follow who aren’t ‘celebrities’ (although some of them probably think they are). My point is not to complain about the desire for people to go out and vote – my personal problem with it all is that these people are solely telling people to vote as an endorsement for Obama. When celebrities are telling you who to vote for maybe you should be reconsidering your decision to vote in the first place. If you can’t make an informed decision based on the information provided (plentiful, if the amount of it we get OVER THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD is an indication), in an election which decides the President of YOUR OWN COUNTRY, then please, do us and your country all a favour and DON’T vote. If you’re getting your motivation for democracy from the likes of actors, musicians and ‘figures’ of the GLBT scene then maybe you should keep your voting abilities to episodes of ‘The Voice’.

I am not Pro-Romney, I don’t even know the history of the guy other than he’s a governor and another one of these ‘Rich White Man’ types that the Republicans seems to stick with. I watched a bit of the GOP race with Santorum what seems like an age ago but didn't pay too much attention till the campaign. I’ve no idea what he’s achieved with his tenure as Governor, and that probably says enough. I am also not anti-Obama, let me make that clear. At the same time though, realities must be considered.

In terms of GLOBAL issues (the ones that would even come close to affecting Australians), we are STILL involved in multiple foreign conflicts, the Kyoto protocol still remains unratified (funny, didn’t we kick up a stink when Howard refused to do so?) and, apart from the GFC, little has really changed in the last 4 years for the world as a result of America’s actions. Remember that I’m speaking from an international perspective here. I don’t engage in US domestic policy, nor do I profess to. The closest I come is getting my NBA scores every day. Although I’m pretty sure gay marriage isn’t part of the nationwide legislation over there either, and people keep getting shot. It’s funny that these issues – Climate Change, gay marriage, foreign wars and gun control – are all part of what the Left considers important. Just because a nation like the US ‘winds down’ official military operations doesn’t mean that at least some of these troops are replaced with members of private security firms, but that’s a moot point. Surely the bombardment of Libya in 2011 reminds us all of the potential the US has, even under Obama.

In a way, I consider Obama a more successful Kevin Rudd. Rudd was elected with a bunch of symbolic policies and rode the wave of change that was going to happen anyway. Some of the symbolism happened and then he was deposed. Not by the people but by his own party. Had Kevin fought the 2010 election for Labor they would have won, and we wouldn’t have this pathetic situation we do now. Obama has shown more consistency in his time, and I’d be very surprised to see him lose the election – but this is the thing. Much of the over-the-top sensationalist campaigning on the left almost reeks of FEAR. Surely Democrats have a bit more faith in themselves than that. If Bush got re-elected then surely Obama will in a landslide. Once again this is off point, but at the same time you can see that I recognise the fact that Obama should win.

The other big point among these Twitter people and foreign media is that POTUS is still ‘the leader of the free world’ - that the person who is elected makes decisions not just for themselves and their country but for the rest of us. This may have held true back in the Cold War, the 90’s and for the last decade, but the times are changing. China, India and Russia (again) are all turning into global powerhouses, and they will be just as influential, if not moreso in the future. All the idea that the USA is in charge does is further the notion of Western hegemony, and personally, having delved massively into the world of development politics, I like the idea of China and India helping the Third World to grow, instead of the neo-colonial US/UK bastardry of the last 60 years of ‘development’. To think that the US will stay in its position is naive and in some ways offensive and ignorant of the growth occurring in the rest of the world. Not only that, but just STOP, for ONE SECOND, and consider the millions and billions of dollars that go into presidential campaigns from big business and other interests. If you really think Obama is playing solely ‘for the people’ then you’re a fucking idiot. I quite like the idea Robin Williams espoused once when he said that political debates would be better if they were like NASCAR and you could see all the sponsors on the uniforms the candidates are wearing. These people determine the agenda, provide the money and the resources and have the power to facilitate changes themselves. You do not. You go into a booth and tick a box or however you do it over there, and that’s it.

This brings me, probably, to my final point. To the people who think that merely having enough regular citizens vote for someone gives them the presidency, BRUSH UP ON YOUR AMERICAN POLITICS. Each state is given a different number of Electoral College votes (I can tell I’ve already lost some of you, go and look it up).

Basically, each state is allocated a certain amount of Electoral College votes, which determine the presidency. The numbers are not consistent, with some states receiving large portions of votes to select the president, and others not so much. It’s a winner-takes-all basis, and the candidate that wins a State gets ALL of the Electoral College votes. Bush controversially won all 27 of Florida’s Electoral College votes in 2000, despite the uncertainty of the win and the fact that the difference was only a thousand votes or two in the whole state. This puts a special amount of importance on swing states, as watching much American TV will tell you. But yes – it’s not as simple as someone winning the popular vote. In this way it is possible to win the election without the majority of support (and I don’t mean like Julia Gillard did). A candidate only needs to win 7 particular states out of FIFTY (New York, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida and Ohio) to take the Presidency. Is that fair and equitable? Ask Al Gore. Did you even KNOW that? Not only that but Electoral College members are 'technically' under no obligation to vote with their citizens.

I once again feel I’m losing steam on this rant so it’s time to wrap it up. I don’t care who wins this election, although I’ll be very surprised if it’s not Obama. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is not having to put up with extreme lefties (at least not on anything other than domestic issues). Ultimately the fate of America is up to Americans. They can make whatever stupid choice they want, just as we do when our elections come. Do you think they honestly care if we elect Julia or Tony? David Cameron or anyone else? No. America is quite happy to keep their politics to themselves, unless you live in the Middle East.

In summary – Having a Democratic president for the last 4 years has NOT brought America as far forward as you might think it has. Yes I know ‘he’ got Osama but who cares? He’s done alright, but it won’t be an ‘injustice’ if he loses. Having a Republican President, alternatively, will NOT signal the end of the fucking world. Wars will continue whether it’s Obama or Romney. If you think not then you’re once again horribly naive. I could go on and on but I won’t, hell, I already have.

Good luck voting America, I hope your Electoral College gives you the results you want. For the rest of you, from outside America; Thinking that because you host a TV show, you’re an actor or you’ve done a few ‘guest spots’ on an American show means you can tell (or ‘ask’, however you want to put it) other people how to vote is RIDICULOUSLY ironic. Let that sink in. Telling people from another country how to vote, trying to influence their democratic self-determination, it sounds like what the USA has been doing to Africa, Latin America and the Middle East for the last couple of decades – something you exact same people criticise it for! You’re merely perpetuating the American nature of it all. Of course not to the same point but still. In a way this comes beautifully back to my earlier point about the leftist extremism. Stop trying to tell a nation how to vote just because you don’t like someone. It’s not your country.

And before you lefties get your recyclable undies in a twist, this is merely my opinion. God knows you've all emphasised your rights to one.

Its good to be back

Have a great week.