Voting in 2012
A lot of people striving to succeed in the entertainment field abstain from commenting on their political beliefs because it stands to reason that when you take a position on any issue you stand a good chance of alienating 50% of your potential audience. This has never been a big concern of mine; as Popeye used to say, "I yam what I yam" - and I believe what I believe, and I have a six year old daughter and care about the future of this country (and the future of this world).
Tomorrow morning, Tamar and I will get up early and go vote and take, even though Kaelin has the day off from school, and take Kaelin with us. I've taken Kaelin with me to vote on elections every two years since she was born. Unlike other parts of the country, we'll be in and out; turnout always seems so low in my area, and there are several poling places. There will be no goons harassing us and no voter intimidation; we just don't live in that kind of place.
It will surprise no one that I'm voting for President Obama. I'm a registered Democrat and a proud liberal (but not always a proud Democrat). I believe in the things my party stands for: equality for all, affordable health care for all, and a woman's right to control her own body. I'm satisfied that the President's done the best he could in the face of relentless and unprecedented obstructionism from a party that repeatedly put politics ahead of country, and admitted doing so.
I do not like what I see from the politicians on the other side, be it substantive policies, misleading talking points, or nasty, sarcastic rhetoric. I find the level of the GOP's hypocrisy almost as surreal as I do working class men and women voting against their own interests; some people vote with the blind fervor of a football fanatic. I don't like religion in politics; I don't like voter suppression; I don't like the thinly veiled racism or homophobia that I see in the Republican party. Most of all, I don't like the Tea Party, its blatant lies, or its bug-fuck crazy leaders. I also don't see any reason to soft pedal my disgust for a "movement" that has turned this country ugly.
As someone who works in more than one artistic field, I have a lot of friends who happen to be gay (I do not refer to them as my "gay friends"), and I find the GOP's 1950s mores not only backward, but unacceptable. It's 2012, people - you're not going to set the clock back, and if you somehow manage to, the long term damage to your party will be severe; history will not view the way you've violated the civil rights of these men and women.
Five months ago, my wife lost her job, and with her job, she and I and our daughter lost our health insurance - except that we didn't. Thanks to Obamacare, we're fully covered, and we've all needed those benefits. A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with nodes in my throat. If Mitt Romney is elected, and if he overturns Obamacare as he's promised (But what good are his promises? I have never in my life seen a human being whose actual beliefs are so unreadable, and who has flipped, flopped, and flapped on every single issue), not only could we lose our coverage, but I will quite likely never have coverage again, since I have what could be called a previously diagnosed condition.
How about women's rights? Specifically, abortion? How about developing new energy sources and restricting harmful emissions? How about fucking global warming? One party is on the right side of every one of these issues, and one party stands on the wrong side of them. I laugh when people say there's no difference between these two parties; nothing could be farther than the truth. I don't laugh when people don't vote, then lecture the rest of us on politics.
Tomorrow is Election Day. I believe President Obama will win, but I also believe that when a race is too close to call, the GOP will steal said election, so if you care about the things I care about, get up and vote like apes!
Tomorrow morning, Tamar and I will get up early and go vote and take, even though Kaelin has the day off from school, and take Kaelin with us. I've taken Kaelin with me to vote on elections every two years since she was born. Unlike other parts of the country, we'll be in and out; turnout always seems so low in my area, and there are several poling places. There will be no goons harassing us and no voter intimidation; we just don't live in that kind of place.
It will surprise no one that I'm voting for President Obama. I'm a registered Democrat and a proud liberal (but not always a proud Democrat). I believe in the things my party stands for: equality for all, affordable health care for all, and a woman's right to control her own body. I'm satisfied that the President's done the best he could in the face of relentless and unprecedented obstructionism from a party that repeatedly put politics ahead of country, and admitted doing so.
I do not like what I see from the politicians on the other side, be it substantive policies, misleading talking points, or nasty, sarcastic rhetoric. I find the level of the GOP's hypocrisy almost as surreal as I do working class men and women voting against their own interests; some people vote with the blind fervor of a football fanatic. I don't like religion in politics; I don't like voter suppression; I don't like the thinly veiled racism or homophobia that I see in the Republican party. Most of all, I don't like the Tea Party, its blatant lies, or its bug-fuck crazy leaders. I also don't see any reason to soft pedal my disgust for a "movement" that has turned this country ugly.
As someone who works in more than one artistic field, I have a lot of friends who happen to be gay (I do not refer to them as my "gay friends"), and I find the GOP's 1950s mores not only backward, but unacceptable. It's 2012, people - you're not going to set the clock back, and if you somehow manage to, the long term damage to your party will be severe; history will not view the way you've violated the civil rights of these men and women.
Five months ago, my wife lost her job, and with her job, she and I and our daughter lost our health insurance - except that we didn't. Thanks to Obamacare, we're fully covered, and we've all needed those benefits. A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with nodes in my throat. If Mitt Romney is elected, and if he overturns Obamacare as he's promised (But what good are his promises? I have never in my life seen a human being whose actual beliefs are so unreadable, and who has flipped, flopped, and flapped on every single issue), not only could we lose our coverage, but I will quite likely never have coverage again, since I have what could be called a previously diagnosed condition.
How about women's rights? Specifically, abortion? How about developing new energy sources and restricting harmful emissions? How about fucking global warming? One party is on the right side of every one of these issues, and one party stands on the wrong side of them. I laugh when people say there's no difference between these two parties; nothing could be farther than the truth. I don't laugh when people don't vote, then lecture the rest of us on politics.
Tomorrow is Election Day. I believe President Obama will win, but I also believe that when a race is too close to call, the GOP will steal said election, so if you care about the things I care about, get up and vote like apes!
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