Important!
Following the first debate between Obama and Romney, an observer in Norway lamented that the race could be distilled down to its politically incorrect essence: lily-white aristocrats determined to send the uppity, black upstart back to his assigned societal strata (my somewhat sanitized summation). When I agreed, a reader responded with a litany of objections — examples of how Obama had failed us and (presumably) did not deserve another term in office. What follows is adapted from what I then wrote back…
— Monsieur d’Nalgar (October 13, 2012)
Were Obama my perfect candidate, then most of the prior administration would be rotting away in Guantanamo, a latter-day Spandau prison under UN jurisdiction. What was left of the Grand Old Party would be its ridiculous, remnant wackadoodle tea party born-again John Birchers and a handful of secessionists still itching to fight the Civil War. The rest, including Blue Dog lookalikes, would have been embarrassed into stunned silence.
Were Obama my perfect candidate, both wars would have ended and monetary/aid reparations begun immediately. Israel would have ceased to be a Jewish apartheid sanctuary and Greater Palestine would be an egalitarian, secular state, a harbinger of a Levantine confederacy to come, another step towards a borderless world that has shed petty notions of nationalism.
Were Obama my perfect candidate, we would have seen public works projects here in America that made FDR’s CCC and WPA efforts pale in comparison. There would have been a great migration of people from the military into the ranks of the Peace Corps.
Were Obama my perfect candidate, we would already have universal health care. The insurance industry would be extinct and the pharmaceutical behemoth would have been tamed. Income would be evenly distributed between the richest and the poorest, and the line between both extremes would look like a gentle slope, not a near-vertical cliff.
Were Obama my perfect candidate, he would have accomplished all of this in four short years and the world, including Americans, would be ringing with huzzahs and hosannas. Clearly he is not my perfect candidate, and is sadly, not as different from Mittens (or even Bush/Cheney) as I would like. But I’m not willing to stay home and sulk, and I’m not willing to throw my vote away on a third-party candidate because Obama is not perfect enough. In fact, the best I can do where I live is register my objections to an emergent tea party that is trying to turn the clock back to the days of Jim Crow and segregation.
Dr. Casey Ann Hughes, who lives about 5 hours away in a state that, like Arkansas, has also been overrun by regressives, recently penned a call to arms for her fellow Democrats. Your circumstances may not be identical, but her letter is worthy of your consideration, in my humble opinion:
https://levantium.com/2012/10/04/why-vote/
If you don’t think we need to change the world, then by all means, vote for Romney.
— Monsieur d’Nalgar
Photograph by Nikki Kahn: http://www.nikkikahn.com/#/rally-for-president-obama-2012/Obama
3 comments
Excellent as always. I agree
WOW! You have such a gift of clarity – a true artist w/pen (keyboard) Might I copy this and forward along to my misguided pals who think voting for the Green Party “makes a statement?” Even my rants as to what damage that wrought w/Nader go unheeded Thanks as always
Author
You are too kind, but of course you may share. Here’s hoping it might do some good…