Please..Anything But Politics!

I consider myself very apolitical. It’s not that I don’t care – in the end I do my patriotic duty and vote for the candidate I feel most closely reflects my ideals – but this whole election process bores me to tears. (And it’s only March)

I wish that someone would simply publish a check list of the candidate’s views, and a record of how he or she has voted on key issues in the past, and let people vote for the one that they agree with.

The debates are especially disturbing to me. Two smiling candidates on stage – representing the same party – supposedly on the same political side – arguing and tearing each other down – even resorting to name calling and personal attacks - trying to prove that they alone are the “real” Democrat or Republican, and their opponents are just impostors. Sounds too much like the religion of my youth….

One political story that I do find interesting this year is the one about the racist and separatist remarks made by Barack Oboma’s Pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright. I’m sure that his sermons were not intended to be political. They were not designed for public consumption. I suspect that they were just typical Sunday morning fodder that his congregation was very used to being fed.

The interesting part is going to be watching Mr. Oboma try to avoid stepping into this political pooh and distance himself from the racist views of his church. How can he publicly denounce his pastor’s views and still save face with his congregation? After the election, win or lose, will he be able to sit quietly in the pews of that church again on a Sunday morning and listen to this racist rhetoric? I don’t know. But, if he does, then I suspect that he never really disagreed with Dr. Wright in the first place. Time will tell.


Footnote: I just finished listening to Obama's speech answering to the controversy about his connection with and his allegiance to Dr Wright. I must say I was genuinely impressed. He seemed very straight forward and honest and didn't do a lot of side stepping. One interesting quote was "the most segregated time in America is the one hour on Sunday morning when we all go to church". We can't deny that he's right on that one.