"I'm not getting involved with that."
It was MLK Day a couple of years ago. Tracy, Denny, and myself had spent two days of ice climbing at Ouray, but a snowstorm hit so we decided to bail on the third day. We found ourselves at the Lucas' ranch outside of Cortez and out of the storm. In between some heated games of Yahtzee, we decided to grill some steaks. Actually, Ron grilled the steaks as Denny and I watched. I'll never forget the focus in Ron's eyes as he meticulously seared the meat to perfection. I went inside to get an ice cold Corona but came back out with a plate of sliced squash in my other hand that Caroline wanted grilled as well. I stood where Ron could see me but got no response. I placed the plate down in front of him so that he could not ingnore it. "What's this?" he asked with disdain. "Uh, I think your wife wants this grilled too."
He came close to stiff-arming me as he said, "I'm not getting involved with that."
And that was it. I ended up grilling the squash after the steaks were done because he wanted to only be focused on the meat.
I look back now and realize I should have applied that lesson in my life this year. There is plenty of the meat in life to be focused on without getting distracted by the squash of politics. My interest in politics was ignited this past spring by the campaign of Barack Obama. It was new. It was fresh. It was grassroots. It was different. It was exciting to be a part of history. Now I wish the whole election cycle was history. Now both sides are politics as usual. The inconsistencies are maddening. The mudslinging is frustrating. The cynicisim has overshadowed any hope.
Maybe a big part of it is that we view the proceedings through the ridiculous media filter. Nothing is straight or objective. I cannot find one unbiased journalist. Oreilly comes the closest, but he is usually so angry that I tune out. The right and left are so extreme that middle ground is hard to find. It would be impossible to choose which side is more superficial and hateful, the right with the Hannitys and Coulters or the left with the Olbermans and Moores. Our good friend Ken Holmes pointed out astutely one time that historically speaking too far right ends up at Hitler and too far left ends up at Stalin, and both meet with the similar results and consequences.
On one hand you could say that either choice this year is a win-win. Both candidates look better than the Bush regime. I admire McCain's story and Obama's story. But I'd hate to see the right wingers and Hannity gloat if McCain won just as much I'd hate to see the Hollywood elite and Olberman gloat if Obama won. Both seem like good, pleasant individuals but their friends seem less than pleasant. Both seem like they have good intentions, but how much will they be swayed by their cronies?
On the other hand both candidates seem burned out and lost, and the last thing either one is going to be able to do is change anything. Both are pretty much deadbeats at the debates. Both would rather talk about each other than their own message. One, McCain, has spent the last two months talking so much about Obama that I really have no idea what his policies would be. On top of that he chooses a running mate that would make a great neighbor but wouldn't know the first thing about leading a country.
Obama has been more specific, but at the same time he has morphed from a different kind of politician to just another typical one. I really wish that he would not get into the mudslinging game and he would more readily admit when he is wrong or when he changes his mind because there is nothing wrong with either.
With all of that said, I think Obama is the best choice based on three things:
1. Republicans say national security is the top priority. True, but doesn't healthcare and education go hand in hand with national security? And they have no answers to either one of those topics but Obama supposedly does.
2. The Republicans' hypocrisy is now edging out the Democrats' hypocrisy, which is saying something. They yell and scream about too much government in Obama's healthcare plan, yet they definitely want big government when it comes to bailing out wall street. And they most certainly want big government when it comes to our moral decisions. I personally think abortion is an atrocious thing, but do we want a political party deciding morals? I thought they were against government intervention? On top of all that McCain and Palin were both quoted this week with saying, "America is the greatest source of good in the history of the world." What? I thought they both claimed to be people of faith. Any person of faith knows that a man-made country or government does not exactly line up with their quote.
3. Basically my decision is now coming down to what the great political scientist, Adam Oliphant, of Bloomfield, Indiana said back in May. He said, "There's nothing wrong with McCain, but it's time to give the Republicans a rest. Give them a little break for a while. They've been in power too long." I guess that adds another part to the checks and balances. If a party is in the executive branch for eight years, it is time to switch to the other one. Every eight years we make a switch.
There. It's out of my system. The excitement is long gone. I'm no longer getting involved with that. It's time to just focus on the meat.
He came close to stiff-arming me as he said, "I'm not getting involved with that."
And that was it. I ended up grilling the squash after the steaks were done because he wanted to only be focused on the meat.
I look back now and realize I should have applied that lesson in my life this year. There is plenty of the meat in life to be focused on without getting distracted by the squash of politics. My interest in politics was ignited this past spring by the campaign of Barack Obama. It was new. It was fresh. It was grassroots. It was different. It was exciting to be a part of history. Now I wish the whole election cycle was history. Now both sides are politics as usual. The inconsistencies are maddening. The mudslinging is frustrating. The cynicisim has overshadowed any hope.
Maybe a big part of it is that we view the proceedings through the ridiculous media filter. Nothing is straight or objective. I cannot find one unbiased journalist. Oreilly comes the closest, but he is usually so angry that I tune out. The right and left are so extreme that middle ground is hard to find. It would be impossible to choose which side is more superficial and hateful, the right with the Hannitys and Coulters or the left with the Olbermans and Moores. Our good friend Ken Holmes pointed out astutely one time that historically speaking too far right ends up at Hitler and too far left ends up at Stalin, and both meet with the similar results and consequences.
On one hand you could say that either choice this year is a win-win. Both candidates look better than the Bush regime. I admire McCain's story and Obama's story. But I'd hate to see the right wingers and Hannity gloat if McCain won just as much I'd hate to see the Hollywood elite and Olberman gloat if Obama won. Both seem like good, pleasant individuals but their friends seem less than pleasant. Both seem like they have good intentions, but how much will they be swayed by their cronies?
On the other hand both candidates seem burned out and lost, and the last thing either one is going to be able to do is change anything. Both are pretty much deadbeats at the debates. Both would rather talk about each other than their own message. One, McCain, has spent the last two months talking so much about Obama that I really have no idea what his policies would be. On top of that he chooses a running mate that would make a great neighbor but wouldn't know the first thing about leading a country.
Obama has been more specific, but at the same time he has morphed from a different kind of politician to just another typical one. I really wish that he would not get into the mudslinging game and he would more readily admit when he is wrong or when he changes his mind because there is nothing wrong with either.
With all of that said, I think Obama is the best choice based on three things:
1. Republicans say national security is the top priority. True, but doesn't healthcare and education go hand in hand with national security? And they have no answers to either one of those topics but Obama supposedly does.
2. The Republicans' hypocrisy is now edging out the Democrats' hypocrisy, which is saying something. They yell and scream about too much government in Obama's healthcare plan, yet they definitely want big government when it comes to bailing out wall street. And they most certainly want big government when it comes to our moral decisions. I personally think abortion is an atrocious thing, but do we want a political party deciding morals? I thought they were against government intervention? On top of all that McCain and Palin were both quoted this week with saying, "America is the greatest source of good in the history of the world." What? I thought they both claimed to be people of faith. Any person of faith knows that a man-made country or government does not exactly line up with their quote.
3. Basically my decision is now coming down to what the great political scientist, Adam Oliphant, of Bloomfield, Indiana said back in May. He said, "There's nothing wrong with McCain, but it's time to give the Republicans a rest. Give them a little break for a while. They've been in power too long." I guess that adds another part to the checks and balances. If a party is in the executive branch for eight years, it is time to switch to the other one. Every eight years we make a switch.
There. It's out of my system. The excitement is long gone. I'm no longer getting involved with that. It's time to just focus on the meat.
posted by CHUSKA NATIVES at
12:10 AM
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