Life is Weird, etc, etc.

Despite being a reasonable person, I still am often optimistic beyond reasonable expectations, which probably explains why I thought that John Kerry would win in the last Presidential election. "Certainly," I said, "President Bush's remarkably low approval rating will encourage voters to pick the other guy." "And of course," I continued, "all of those kids who go to those war protests and write angry blogs will be motivated and turn out record numbers of young people to vote for John Kerry." "And really," I concluded, "you couldn't possibly vote for a silver-spoon duty-dodger over a thrice-medaled war veteran and honest-to-god hero!"

Of course, on all of those counts, I was wrong. I didn't take into account the fact that while people love to complain, very few people ever do anything about it. I also negelected to imagine the sheer number of wild smear campaigns that Bush supporters would enact against John Kerry, most notably the swift-boat bs, nor did I realize how many people would fall for something so stupid and factually inaccurate. And I didn't take into account the voter fraud and irregularities that would occur in swing states like Ohio. Oh, and I nearly forgot, people care more about abortions and gay marriage - which the Republicans love to talk about but never want to act on for fear of losing the issue and because the majority of Americans are on the other side of those issues - than about the safety of our country or the health of our economy for the common person.

It is this same unthinking optimism that has me believing that not only can Barack Obama beat a Clinton - second only to the Bush's as far as modern political dynasties go - but that an African-American son of an immigrant and product of an inter-racial marriage who spent much of his youth outside of the continental United States and has an unusual name that reminds people of villians...will become our next President. It makes perfect sense to me that he will win. Why wouldn't he? He's on the right side of all the issues. He has integrity. He's honest. He inspires with his words and impresses with his dignity. He appeals to our better angels and not our basest fears. Not to mention, he's just plain cool. You'll never catch him doing a tap dance on the steps of the White House like George Bush, or doing some terrible Sopranos spoof like Hillary Clinton. Why wouldn't people vote for him?

Of course, if I can tap into future Chris' consciousness...for the same reasons they never vote for the good guy. Because, in this coming year, and starting already, people will convince them of things that aren't true simply by saying them. Fox News says he went to a Muslim school. It doesn't matter that within a half-hour every news source in the world, Fox News included, debunked that story. People heard it, and they only remember the first part, not the retraction. The majority of voters in the south believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Why? I don't even think there was ever a news story claiming it was true, not even from Fox Noise (thanks, Keith). But they heard he's got a funny name and collectively all decided he was probably a Muslim. Not that it should matter, either, but it's ridiculous since the same people who won't vote for him because they think he's a Muslim are the ones that would vote exclusively for him for being a devout Christian, which he is.

And I'm sure that come election time there will be rumors and allegations of shady business dealings or marital indescretions or secret drug problems, none of which will be true, and no one will remember that the same rumors dogged George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and that it didn't stop them from voting for those guys.

So, I'm optimistic. I'm optimistic that the right man, at the right time, for the right reasons will be elected President. I'm optimistic that it will mean something to our spirit here in America and will repair our reputation worldwide. I'm optimistic that the environment will get safer and the air cleaner. I'm optimistic that good shows will be renewed and that, eventually, people will stop watching that crazy lie-detector show. I'm optimistic that I'll be appreciated and that jerks will suffer.
But hey, who knows.