Going Political

I've never been a political person. Ironically, there are a lot of connections in my life that are politically-inclined. My godfather is a current Mayor and former Senator. My parents used to associate with politicians on a regular basis and even my extended family and friends have ties to prominent politicians. As for myself, I was proudly ignorant. I was content with not knowing what was going on with our country and just relied on friends for news.

And then I discovered The West Wing. I was in college and after class, I was just looking around at the DVD section of a bookstore, trying to find a good TV series to watch. I saw The West Wing and even though I didn't know anything about the show, the critical acclaim was enough for me to try it out. It turned out to be my all time favorite show. And then I discovered The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. After that, there was no turning back.

The last few years, my interest in American politics have only grown thanks to the romantic portrayal of The West Wing and the satire from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I've also started to research the comparisons to our politics, which slowly strengthened my interest in global politics in general. By 2006, I can name you the states that the Democrats won that enabled them to have a Senate and House majority for the first time this century. By last year, I could enumerate all 9 Supreme Court justices and where their political beliefs lie. This year, however, is all about Barack Obama and John McCain.

So yeah, I'm obsessed. I can tell you that Barack Obama has a 7 point lead over John McCain and that he has a 357 to 181 lead in the electoral map (A candidate must have over 270 to win; elections aren't decided by popular vote but by the electoral votes and the states that the candidates have won). I can tell you that Sarah Palin is an idiot because before she was nominated, she openly admitted not knowing what a Vice-President does and that she thought she had foreign policy experience because Alaska is close to Russia. I can tell you that the current election is the perfect storm for democrats due to an unpopular Bush administration and the focus of a near-depression economy (democrats are regarded as better on economy while republicans as better on national security). And finally, that Senator Barack Obama represents change.

How does this affect you and me? We don't live in the United States but we are the most americanized country in Asia. Our supreme court routinely references to US supreme court rulings as if we are subject to their laws. Our legislators routinely look to new American laws as guidelines for how they should write theirs. The whole world looks to the last superpower, that's why their economic problems are felt throughout the global economy.

This is one of the most important elections in recent memory, not just for the United States, but for everyone else as well. I think it's important for a person to be clear about what they believe in. For myself, I'm a liberal and I think it's pretty cool that a black man is on his way to becoming President. I think it says a lot for a nation that thought black people didn't have the same rights until the 60s. It's not just about his race. I agree with his platform (that's one of the things our country should emulate. We should have platforms, not just vote on personality. We don't know anything about politicians, they'll say anything to get elected, but political platforms are a matter of record).

I think the government(ours and theirs) should explore alternative energies. I think the government should help stop global warming. I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe in equal rights for men and women, no matter their race or sexual preference. I think our government should legalize abortion, because while I dont' think that people should do it, banning it has caused a lot of maternal deaths and hospitalization. Research says that abortion is directly corrolated to poverty, thus, the more the government helps out the poor, the less people will be inclined to abort their babies.

I'm really enjoying this presidential race. It opened my eyes to issues that affect people and it also opened my eyes to our own politics and how our lives are affected by the governments' actions. I also like the fact that there are polarizing opinions, because ideas are formed by debate, not by one side blindly agreeing to everything. An Obama presidency would moderate the currently conservative court.

So anyway, it's 2am and I'm still up reading the election coverage from the New York Times, Time.com and Newsweek. I love the strategy that goes in it. The strategists decide where the money should go and which battleground states to focus on. It's like war. I think that's what I enjoy the most about the coverage. Currently, the Obama campaign is ahead in almost all battleground states, so John McCain has a lot of ground to cover and he's got one debate left to steer public opinion.

There's not a lot of time left and Obama looks to be pulling away. As for me, I'll still be tuning in. History is about to be made and I wouldnt dare miss it.