Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Obama Backlash

I think I feel it coming... can you feel it in the air? Everyone is slobbering at his feet too much, it's going too smoothly. I read a comment on Wonkette about how people need to check the site out to see when the backlash starts, and suddenly a light bulb turned on in my head. Of course, how did I not see this coming... I've personally witnessed many backlashes by now, I mean Stereogum has one like every week.

Can it even happen? Or is he really a messiah and no one can resist his beauty?

I think, as long as Obama isn't a "sure thing" shoe-in for the nomination, he won't have a back lash. And as long as people keep hating Hillary so much, he is probably safe. Only if all these anti-Clinton crazies miraculously stop calling her a devil and they realize that they've been fawning over Obama for no solid reason... only then they might come to realize how ridiculous they act sometimes.

We had a mock election at my school on Monday, and at first I had a really hard time deciding. I felt pressure to vote for Obama because my closer friends would probably make fun of me for voting for Hillary. I decided to vote for him just to see how I feel after and then base my real vote (six days!) partly on that...

So my "feeling?" Basically i felt half like a lame trend follower, and half like I was betraying my gender. Ignoring the second part, really what is all this "Obamamania" but one big fat trend? That's all it is. It's so empty. he keeps saying "I will be the one to unite us, I am not typical Washington" but where is the proof? To put this in the cheesiest way possible, he surely can talk the talk but can he walk the walk? That's the question.

I've had a passionate hatred of trends for years now. I think it may have officially started with uggs. they are so UGLY, and yet everyone wore them (and still do!). Now obviously it's unfair to compare Obama with that because he seems like an awesome guy and he truly is inspirational. But I think underneath it all there is a common thread. Something about... just doing something without even thinking, you know? Like, why did all those people buy uggs when they are obviously the ugliest shoes in the history of shoes? Because they're warm, okay... but there's more to it, because uggs have been around forever and they could have bought them then if they needed their footsies to be warm that bad.

I'm going off on a tangent but the point is... I don't know what the deal with Obama is, whether he truly is the next Kennedy and this amazing, oh-my-fucking-god person to save the whole universe in one day.... or if he's just an empty promise, a whole lot of talk without substance. I mean, do people see him in debates? He crumbles under Hillary. he has nice jokes and he does seem real, but UGH I just need something more solid, something to really make me trust him and know that he can push this country back on track... He has great oratory skills but I don't see that fiery passion that I see in Clinton. he always looks like he already has this thing in the bag. And I can't help but question his motives... he doesn't appear to be desperate to change the ways of Washington- he says it a lot but I don't SEE it- and yet he's running so early on, without much experience. I just honestly want to know "why?" I need to know it. Does he believe he can single-handedly save America? I'm not being snarky, I really want to know. Did someone push him to run two years ago because they saw his potential- his youth, his eloquence- or was this really a gut feeling of "damnit this country needs a change and I'm the one to do it?"

All I'm saying is that I've been repelled by trends for a long time now. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon and I immediately get suspicious if something smells fishy. And that's what is happening with Obama right now. I get repelled when everyone else fawns over him, they say "hope" and I say "how?" I just need substance and so far he hasn't given it to me. I don't know, I'm going crazy trying to decide...

But if I base my choice on how I felt after voting, I have to say I would go for Hillary. I would feel like I am actually thinking for myself instead of blindly going after this "hope" talk, you know...

It's like do I vote for what my brain says (and vote for Hillary) or vote for America and let it have the chill president it so desperately wants and vote for Obama? Take a chance. Even though it might amount to a whole bunch of nothing? I just want him to throw me a bone- say something about how he will change things, What exactly he will do and how. I want him to prove to me that he truly knows how to deal with the deep shit the US is in right now. If he can do that, hallelujah. If not... I guess Hillary has got my vote?

No comments: