Election 2K8

Let me preface this by stating that I am pro-Obama.

Now, that doesn't make me anti-Clinton, or even anti-McCain, I just happen to like Obama more. Perhaps he's the only candidate who is not a baby boomer. Or perhaps I just like to conform, and hopped on the Obama bandwagon like all the other youth. This is, in fact, untrue. I knew I'd vote for Obama after I saw him speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Truth be told, I was watching that speech live. It was cool. And then of course I campaigned for him in Iowa (and I'd like to think I won the state for him). 

Point is, I think Obama is a good person. Good people should be president for a whole host of reasons. I mean, look at the new governor of New York! He is blind, and therefore is very very sensitive to those who have less ability to stand up for what they believe in. He'll be a great governor. So... Things have been "battled" out. 

And this is a big problem with me. The media. I mean, things were OK, and the US had decent media back when the news division didn't have to post a profit. Back when Walter Kronkite was dishing out the nightly news, the news divisions were more or less like public television. The companies who ran the news sponsered the news to go and be good, and then they could give good news. Well, as it turned out, people didn't want to see quality journalism, so they made the news departments churn out cash. So whenever a nipple pops out, or anything to grab an audience is flashed all up and down the news channels/newspapers, while higher quality news reporting is falling. 

Our savior? The Patron Saint of the Internet. Seriously, the fact that I can tell Fox and MSNBC to go shove it, and I can go online, and read news from the BBC makes my life. The BBC runs a 24 hour news broadcast in the UK. Guess what? No commercials.... Thats right! Public TV that is quality, and substantial. Of course the UK has a massive tabloid industry, but at least the OPPORTUNITY to watch some quality journalism exists.

So, how does this change election cycles? Well... The last primary was the Texas/Rhode Island. It isn't until far into April that the next Primary happens. So now what? The news stations NEED news, simply because they don't cover a host of international topics. The BBC has a 30 minute broadcast every 12 hours. The pack stories in, and they don't even have panels or commercials to talk about stuff. CNN doesn't cover half those stories, especially if it happens in a country where there are brown people. Regardless... 

The only news they have, is to massively blow up confrontations between Barack Obama, and Hillary. Yowza! So every mild mannered debate turns into some sort of primal boxing match from hell. Obama jabs, Hillary slashes and destroys. Its violent!  And of course the end result is the average voter getting turned off due to the negativity, and constant coverage. Its unhealthy for this democracy. 

But this election cycle is different! For the first time, my generation, this young generation, is turning out to vote in record numbers. Why? Because of Barack Obama. He won the University of Madison by a 75-25 margin. Facebook and Myspace agree... Young people flock to him. And he's gotten a LOT of voters who never would have voted, to come out and vote. And for the democratic party. This is a beautiful chance to change the debate from the issues of the aging baby boomers, and move it to a more relevant, and just as large generation. Medicare, and SS will suck the life out of the federal government in the next 20 years, and the younger people of this country should say, hey! "Politicians don't need to pay attention to old people, we vote too, pay attention to us! Give us money for college."

So as it stands, Obama has won more delegates, more votes, and more states. BUT of course, neither candidate can win. It will come down to some dark back room, filled with cigar smoking bureaucrats; hashing out the future of the country. Sad, but true. These "superdeligates" will choose the next democratic candidate. And what if Hillary wins? What if she has less delagates, less votes, and less states won, but yet, still gets the nomination? I think you are going to find young people leave her campain in droves. That is completly undemocratic. I personally won't vote for Hillary if she wins, not because I think she is a bad candidate, in fact, I think she'd make a fine president, BUT, I don't want to be a part of ANY party that undemocratically selects its candidates. There would be massive protests if Obama didn't win this nomination. I know I'll start a protest here in Madison, lol, insite a riot. For those of you who don't know, I want to be in a riot. It'd be fun. You could tell stories to your grandchildren. I mean, I don't want to get hurt/shot, or hurt anyone else, or start a riot, I just want to be in it. 

So Democratic Party!!! LISTEN TO ME! You will disenfranchise an entire wave of possible new and young democratic voters. If you elect the old candidate, you will disenfranchise all of them, and they won't support you when they get old. And you'll go the way of the Whig party. Watch out.

Thanks,

Guthrie