As much as I have enjoyed watching men and women athletes compete in the Olympic games over the years, and successfully pushing out the political crap that inevitably surrounds the games, I can say that I’m not sad I will no longer have the sound of the games on our television being the soundtrack of my day to day existence. Yes I loved Dressage even though I wondered how someone could spend tens of thousands of dollars on having the perfect score composed for her horse to compete to. And I truly enjoyed all the diving, although the gaunt bodies of some of the young Chinese women was disturbing. We jumped from our couch potato positions and cheered when Matthew Mitcham of Australia nosed out the Chinese diver for the gold medal in the high platform competition, and grinned each time he smiled and waved at the camera.
But there’s a political campaign going on. Still. At last. Finally.
And I’ve kept my eye on it all the way, which has been fairly painful considering all the talking heads I’ve had to sort through, enduring opinions and hair-splitting analysis of nothing. Trying to know what is really happening. Waiting.
I haven’t been one to watch the conventions in past years, because it always appears staged, and forced. I’ve always pictured a score of producers and marketers, advisors, and aides positioning the political puppets for those who may watch and, they hope, believe that it’s all true. They don’t think we’re very smart, and sometimes they are right.
But last night, I watched the before show. I watched CNN and MSNBC listening for the always present biases each has, and skipped whomever spoke (Pelosi…) until Caroline Kennedy spoke to introduce her uncle. I had to watch.
I was seven years old when I first saw Caroline Kennedy, at her father’s funeral, on our small black and white boxy television set. It’s the first time I realized that the world was bigger than my family and my home, and that sad things happened to people as young as I was. So when she speaks, I have to watch and think about the life she’s led and how it’s been shaped so differently than mine has been.
I watched Uncle Teddy, too, and listened to him, thinking more about the effort his presence there took than his words and respecting him for that alone.
But it was Michelle Obama I wanted to see and hear. She’s smart. She’s opinionated. She says what others think, but won’t say because they’re more comfortable criticizing others instead of standing up for what they believe. She won’t be someone who smiles demurely for photo ops when the new wing of a hospital opens somewhere or take on Literacy like it was something new that needed to be paid attention to. Her self-admitted “loud mouth” will be available on a regular basis, and to me, will represent more accurately what matters to me as a woman in today’s world whether I’m a “sister” or not. I believe her and respect women who are outspoken a hell of a lot more than those who feign disdain and then snark outrageously behind closed doors.
And for the polled 27% who are still pining for the loss of Hilary and are holding their potential votes hostage by actually saying they’ll vote for McCain? Give me a break. It truly reminds me of a child who, at someone else’s party, can’t deal with not being in the spot light so dumps over the punchbowl. Constructive if you’d like to spoil the party and leave everyone else remembering you for the giant red stain on your party dress. Get over yourselves and plug in your brains. Pull your heads out of your rumps, quit whining, and pay attention. It’s embarrassing.
To all the pundits who say this election is hinged upon independent votes? That would be me. But I’ve been decided for quite some time. My vote just keeps getting more solid with time, and nothing the GOP’s spin machine comes up with will distract me.
I will, however, have to quietly pardon myself to violently empty the contents of my stomach if I EVER have to listen to the truly obnoxious Ben Stein who was on CNN last night after Michelle Obama spoke. It was bad enough have to watch Larry King , but Ben Stein?
What a dislikable person.
This started out so nicely today, didn’t it?
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