Let me wax political

I can't profess that I am a political person. I would last probably 5 minutes in a serious political discussion before I got frustrated/outwitted, and then I'd try my best to move the subject to something lighter like bunnies or the latest Adam Sandler movie. But this election has perked my ears and I've been listening to NPR and reading newspapers to learn about the candidates and the race. It's an important time in our country and in my life, and how better to feel some semblance of control than to be a part of the political process?

I started out a staunch Obama supporter. There was just so much fervor for him, especially among people my age and celebrities I identified with. I appreciated his idealism, his education, and, yes, even his elitism. What I figured was that I'd rather have someone in office who had young, educated people behind him than someone who attracted blue-collar, toothpick chewin', gun-totin' Americans. I admit I was on the bandwagon.

And now that it's much further into the race, I've learned that Obama isn't all halos and hope. I mean he is more so than McCain, who's all straight-talk and patriotism, but Obama's been selling out recently. His ads try to paint him as identifying with the middle class Americans he had put down earlier, and I think that reflects the political system in this country - you have to get everyone to like you to win. It has made me like Obama a little less, but I'm still behind him because his stance on the issues is in tune with mine.

And I'm certainly not a McCain supporter. He's running a much less respectable race. He's bashing Obama and playing on the fears of Americans. Want the economy to slip further? Vote Obama. Want to deny offshore drilling and keep gas prices high? Vote Obama. Want Paris Hilton in the White House? Vote Obama. Now I think this is all ridiculous and nasty, but it's working.

Today Reuter's released a poll that shows McCain leading Obama by 5 points for the first time:
Check it out here.

And yesterday in the New York Times, David Brooks wrote this article about McCain's tactics and their effectiveness with voters:
Read it here.

My immediate reaction to this news is disappointment. It makes me think most Americans are idiots. They'll believe anything blindly (for instance that Obama's a muslim) and they are susceptible to the cheap tactics of fear-mongering and hearsay.

But then I wonder if I'm susceptible to peer pressure and following a candidate just because my liberal arts education tells me it's the right thing to do? I also feel guilty for judging my fellow Americans, and being an elitist in assuming that middle-class, less educated people shouldn't have as much of a say.

Despite all my reservations, I think I'm doing the right thing for me in supporting Obama. I believe in what he believes in, and sure he's doing a shoddy job right now, but he's gotta do what he's gotta do to get in the White House and start making real change, right?

Maybe from now on I'll be a little more open to the other side. That way I'll feel less guilty, and more like my vote is informed and convincing.