Wear Clean Draws  (because there’s 5 million ways to kill a ceo)

Over the weekend, I was telling R that I hadn’t yet heard a persuasive argument about why to vote for Obama. So damn, if no one can do it for you, you might as well do it yourself. So, I presented him my argument.

For those of us who are generally opposed to elections as a complete farce, who really do acknowledge that it’s TweedleDee and TweedleDum on the democratic ballot, who are amazed that so many people who generally feel this way are all of a sudden certain that *this* time it’s different, there is only one somewhat persuasive argument for voting Obama

On Doug Henwood’s principle that part of what pissed people off and contributed to a more vibrant social movement in the 90s was higher expectations set by the Clinton campaign, then we must help all these people get what they want! Doug has argued — and the author of Freedom Summer argues same re the 60s and unmet expectations set by prosperity — that it was when hopes were dashed by a shite presidency after 12 years of Reagan/Bush, that people finally got off their ass and did something outside of electoral politics.

Give them what they think they want. Give it to the progressives (in name only) who think that, somehow, Obama is progressive or a least more so than clinton.

Give ‘em what they think they want!

For those who think that race relations will change, give ‘em what they want: a president the think will change things.

For those who are convinced that Obama is better on the war issue, help them get what they want: a president they think will get us out of Iraq, out of Afghanistan, and who won’t war monger and saber rattle at Iran or Venuzuala or the Terr’ists.

Help them secure Obama as pres. Help them get what they want!

All of this, of course, on the principle that they won’t get close to what they want. They wont even get a smidge of what they want.

They will especially not get withdrawal from Iraq. Or Afghanistan. They may even get some healthy war mongering against Iran on the principle that democrats are almost always worse than Republicans b/c they feel they have to prove something. Plus, it
is my contention, of course, that NO ONE will pull the troops out of Iraq, so this isn’t about Obama or Clinton so much as about the bigger picture. And I mean no one: Cynthia McKinney won’t do it. Nader wouldn’t do it. Ron Paul wouldn’t be able to do it. No one.

On the principle that this will contribute to social unrest, then I say: Vote for Obama!

Of course, I’m not voting at all…. I am not registered in my new state and if I were, I couldn’t be arsed to vote. I don’t even go for slightly viable third parties. I have generally voted for some commie, just for the fuck of it. This year, I decided that I needed to spend a day contemplating my tits. I have examined them carefully for hours and I’ve decided that I prefer the left one and I’m voting for my left tit this fall.

Another aspect of Doug’s inchoate theory about social change is that it takes place while the economy is doing fairly well. On that, we’ll have to see. At the very least, on the principle that it might be worth having another empirical test case, disappointing president combines with crap economy, I say “Vote for Obama! So we can experiment with different variables!”

ha. I amuse myself some days.

Now, what’s been slaying me for about three weeks now is this: why the fuck the ridiculousness here? One of ‘em is going to get the votes and will have to choose the other as Veep.

Christ Almighty. That should have been obvious three weeks ago and it should have been obvious last week after all that lovey dovey cooing the two of them did at the debate.

My money’s on this: they’ve already worked out a backroom deal. Of course, it’s not a bet that I can win since proof will not be forthcoming. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there hasn’t already been some finagling among the underlings in the campaign.

Also, as Charles Brown pointed out today, the Democrats are taking up their usual position anyway: that of loser. If McCain gets the nod, they are toast and they know it. In which case, we can sit around for another four years while people do nothing, waiting for a fucking year divisible by four. as if it matters.

feh.