Campaign 2008 Mudfight Starts

Another day, another load of bullsh*t in the political arena. I'm
sitting in front of the tv juggling between MSNBC, CNN, and Fox
listening to the spins - both liberal and conservative - on all the
words being exchanged. Clinton and Obama are going at it, Clinton
supporters lobbing (supposed) insults at Obama and Obama accusing
Clinton of (apparently) disrespecting Martin Luther King Jr. On the
Republican side, McCain and Romney are going at it about Michigan's
lost jobs, mainly in the automotive industry, as all three major US
automakers are based in Michigan and are struggling financially and
competitively. McCain says that the jobs that have been lost, many of
which he says have gone overseas or lost to foreign automakers, are
gone forever, and Romney says that he will fight to get every one of
those jobs back, that they're not lost forever.
Frankly, on the Republican battle, both are right. A lot of the jobs
that have vanished, both in the state of Michigan and nationwide, are
probably gone forever. But not all of them are, and a lot of the
unemployed can be shifted to other careers or other sectors of the
automotive industry. As "hybrid" vehicles take off in popularity, more
people will be needed to manufacture them, and there will be plenty of
jobs in research, parts manufacturing, and other components of the
industry.
On the Democratic side, Clinton isn't stupid enough to (at least
deliberately) disrespect someone who the African-American community
reveres so dearly, especially considering she needs a significant
number of them voting for her to win in several upcoming states and
nationwide. And these accusations that Obama is still doing drugs is
ludicrous, though he has admitted (in his book) to trying "blow" as a
teenager. But come on, if we threw out every candidate that did
something stupid in their teens, we'd have next to no candidates if we
had any at all! And is it possible that Hillary is trying to shift the
focus of the election to race? It is, in theory, but she would be
stupid to do so, considering she's the first viable female
presidential candidate, anyone at any time could quickly shift the
debate from race to gender. Considering the vast discrimination in
this country, both race- and gender-based, dragging either one's
particular demographic difference into the race would not only be
illogical, it would be outright stupid.
Here's my point today. It is up to US, the voting public, to decide
who we will vote for based on the issues important to us. Do not let
the candidates dictate what information you use in your decision. They
are famous for lying and slandering opponents. Listen to them, but
listen to what they say about what they will do to fix our problems.
It's been said more than once, candidates run on problems, they win on
solutions. Listen to all the news, all viewpoints. Do some research.
Read the newspapers. Use fact-checking websites to filter the lies out
from the truth. Then base your judgement - and vote - on the truth
that's left from all the muddled lies and half-truths. Don't vote
party lines or personal loyalties, vote for what's best for the
nation, and the rest will come.
Personally, thank you all for your support the last 24 hours or so.
I'm not fully back yet, but I'm getting there. There's such a range of
emotions right now, the same set that hit me a year ago. I must say
that this blog has introduced me to a wonderful group of people from
all corners of the world, and I am very thankful. I know some of you
are truly more concerned about me than others, but relax! I'm ok, this
latest round isn't a knock-out blow. It was honestly kind of expected.
But the situations around it, though it should've been expected, still
blindsided me to a point. I thank all of you for your kind words, and
I am adding my prayers to all of yours for those dealing with this in
a much more personal manner. So once again, thank you from the bottom
of my heart.
For those of you who are wondering, the cats are doing just fine. The
friggin furballs are probably enjoying the cooler weather, though
right now all three are sleeping. Nimbus is napping with his human,
and the twins are trying to get me to nap on the couch. Curzon thinks
laying on my lap will work, but it's kind of hard to move with a 20lb
cat on you!
Anyways, this'll be all for now, I'll talk to everyone at another
point and time, when I'm more able to write clearly.