Tuesday, October 28, 2008

What type of "Change" are you really looking for?

Change for the sake of change is not really change, now is it??? I've talked to some of my friends in Miami -- people my age and in my socioeconomic status -- and I am surprised when they say they are voting for Obama. The interesting thing is that when I ask them why, they do not really provide a real answer as to why they are voting for him. The typical answer seems to be because "he is the lesser of the two evils" and/or "we need a change from these disastrous 8 years". The latter statement really irks me the most. I have to give Obama's team credit for their ability to develop and distribute a really good Kool-Aid to the masses. I just hope the aftertaste is not too tough for them to bear.

If the last 8 years have sucked as bad as you believe, why didn't you vote differently 4 years ago. I know there are many who are voting for Obama this year, are the same who voted for Kerry 4 years ago, and Gore 4 years before that. These people will continue to vote Democrat come hell or high water (I wonder who came up with that saying). But my friends...people like me...I know they voted for Bush 4 years ago. Which brings me to the former statement of "he is the lesser of two evils", and really the crux of the problem with our government today. Because, you see, I have also taken that approach forever and am doing it this year as well. I liked the McCain of 2000, not the McCain of 2008 -- I am not really sure who the heck he is or what he stands for. That said, I cannot vote for Obama. I admit that I was intrigued about a year ago, before I really knew anything about him, how he stood on certain issues, his background, his beliefs, etc. I liked the fact that he was young and wasn't from the Washington establishment like most of these candidates always seem to be. He was eloquent and seemed like an outsider and was more like my generation -- using the Internet, playing basketball, etc. Now that I know more about him and his stand on the issues that are important to me, I am scared. I am not a conspiracy theorist, or paranoid like some of the hard-core right winger's are. However, for the first time I am truly scared about the future of this country.

I am not a big fan of labels, but in this case the best way to describe Obama (or label) is as a populist. And that is a frightening thought with recent populists taking control of their governments and changing the constitution for their benefit. Populists like Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brasil), and the worst of them all, Fidel Castro. I have first-hand experience with the aftermath of failure of Chavez and more closely, Fidel. My family -- who I am -- experienced the terrible results of a populist president saying the right things (rhetoric) and what people wanted to hear and grabbed absolute power...you know what happens next...

So I will leave you with this to think about until my next post...

Populism
is a political philosophy or rhetorical style that holds that the common person's interests are oppressed or hindered by the elite in society, and that the instruments of the state need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and used for the benefit and advancement of the people as a whole. Hence a populist is one who is perceived to craft his or her rhetoric as appeals to the economic, social, and common sense concerns of average people... Sound familiar?

More...
Essentially a political outlook or mentality rather than an ideology, identified by a popular reaction to dramatic change, such as rapid industrialization. People feel that events are beyond their control, which is blamed on some conspiracy of foreigners, ethnic groups, economic interests, or intellectuals. The populist reaction is to regain control from the suggested centres of power, usually through some form of participation, and to seek revenge and redemption. Beyond that, populism is an obscure and variable outlook.

Chew on that for a while...

I need a shot of Cafe Cubano to warm up...it's 42 degrees here and I'm still not used to the cold!!

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