So, at last it has all come down to this. We have finally reached THE day that marks the end of one of the longest and arguably most exciting presidential elections in our lifetimes. While there have been a lot of surprises, twists, and turns over the last year, obviously it is my earnest desire for it to be over early and that we are spared anymore late night drama. I will be amidst the craziness at the Obama rally tonight in Grant Park, so I am hoping that my only concern will be how best to celebrate with my fellow Obamaniacs. But, as with all things, you never really know until you know. And on that note, let me be probably the umpteenth person today to urge everyone who has not already done so to get out and vote!
Speaking of the Obama rally, just for fun I decided to look on craigslist to see how strong the "entrepreneurial spirit" was. While I expected to see some pretty high prices (highest I saw was $850), what intrigued me more was the number of interesting trades and offers I saw. On the more "normal" side of the spectrum were people offering Cubs tickets, Rock Band for the PS3, various other concert tickets, and an electric guitar (Guild). And, of course, since Obama has a lot of strong support among 20-somethings there are lots of hormonally related offers. Mostly this runs along the lines of young guys looking for "a cute date" (equal opportunity though, as there are both straight and gay posts) to bring but there are also a few cases of women offering themselves up in trade. Then there are the humorous posts. One guy offered to trade "fishing lures for a ticket" (at least I *think* that's a joke) and another guy was offering to take John McCain as his guest for free. On the more commendable side, there were people offering up the guest spot to the highest bidder with the stipulation that the money go to charity (yeah, there were a lot less of these than any of the other ones). Then, there are the ones that can only be described as odd. One guy wants someone to try and pass as his ex-wife, and then others are requesting essay submissions (typically either pro or anti religious). All in all, I think this shows a couple things. First, that the spirit of capitalism is alive and well in the American people. Second, there is still a place for a barter economy (particularly among the young and horny). And lastly, if you get a large enough group together (even if they all appear to be somewhat like-minded) you will see a broad spectrum of ideologies, some ingenious thinking, and all manners of personality traits and quirks.
For the record, I am taking my friend Joe and I will be getting nothing from him save the pleasure of his company (the value of which is debatable).
On a semi-serious note, I just want to point out that although this is the "end" of this presidential campaign, in another way it really is only the beginning. No matter the outcome tonight, the greatest value this campaign has had is that it has engaged the American people in a way that has not been seen in a long time. A democracy functions best when all of its members are thus engaged and it is my earnest hope that this marks a rebirth of perpetual political enthusiasm in this country. It would be a real shame if 6 months from now the populous collectively shrugged its shoulders and returned to the complacency towards government that has marked a lot of our last hundred years. As a people we have been very adept at overcoming adversity, but we need to get better at not letting up once we have broken through. As Mr. Haake, my old cross-country coach, used to say "everyone is taught to run hard up the hill, but if you run hard for 100-yards past the hill that's when you can really pass people." So, to all Americans, I say this: if you haven't been running hard, start now; and if you have, keep going!
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8 comments:
"particularly among the young and horny."
I've never heard a more eloquent description of the need for maintaining a barter economy.
Not since I used to trade beer for haircuts in college.
Two questions (and if you want to cite privacy that is fine, but I will mock you.)
1. How are you (or did you) voting on the Constitution Convention referendum? Why or why not?
2. If you lived in California, how would you vote on Prop 8?
1. I was torn about the state constitution referendum, but I ultimately voted in favor of having one. I don't really have a problem with our current constitution, but I think that twice per century is a good interval for reviewing it. I do realize that we wouldn't actually be "reviewing" it (it would be something brand new) but I don't buy into the argument that single-issue crusaders would dominate and make some crazy changes to it. Honestly though, I don't feel all that strongly about it one way or the other. I did vote a resounding "NO" on the recall amendment. The last thing we need is perpetually-campaigning politicians (which we kind of already have; but it could get much worse).
2. Do you really have to ask? I would vote No. But as I often do, I have a slightly different line of thinking on it. I really don't think the government should have any role in marriage. I think the only reason government should even be notified that you are married is so that you have a clear and valid reason for changing your name (where applicable), changing your citizenship, and so that you have a basis to settle divorce proceedings. I guess what I'm saying is that when I hear a gay person ask the question "why do straight couples get the benefits of marriage and we don't?" that makes me ask "why are straight couples getting any benefits at all?"
In my opinion, all we are doing with this current gay marriage debate is repeating plessy vs. ferguson (where separate but equal was upheld). Every time I hear someone speaking out against gay marriage (assuming they are somewhat eloquent and not just an outright homophobe or a bible thumper) the argument essentially boils down to "yeah, we think that they are equal to us, but we just want to separate them from us in this one, tiny way." Which, of course, is just a more PC way of saying "well obviously straight is better, but I can't say that in public without getting torn apart."
YAAAYYY! I’m so enjoying your blog, John. The mix of serious politi-talk, musings on human nature, and voyages into the slightly ridiculous is just de-lish.
How cool is it that you still remember something Mr. Haake told you? He would be happy to know that. Me, I still remember how Mr. Zahrobsky (my freshman biology teacher—we were his last class before he retired) used to badger us: “Well, come on, your work is good enough I suppose… but you can do better. Do you really want to be stuck in the cesspool of mediocrity your whole life?” He sure liked to talk about the ”cesspool of mediocrity” a lot. Heh. But he was right. (Sigh. Good teachers… their influence never really goes away. Man, now this makes me think I should go back to teaching again. Anyway.)
Wow, Plessy vs. Ferguson? Where are you pulling these out of? Are you sneaking peeks in a U.S. history textbook as you write these? You’re makin’ me feel un-American over here.
Good point though. To be most fair, you shouldn’t have “marriage” be a state-endorsed word anyway. It should all be “civil unions,” for everyone, and then people within their churches can call them marriages. Or call everything a marriage, legally and religiously. But yeah. Separate is not equal.
I'm stealing this quote, but:
We shouldn't be defining love and we sure shouldn't be ill-defining it.
Becky, I'll be honest and admit that I had to look up Plessy vs. Ferguson.
Yes, I should have said "civil unions".
Looks like Prop 8 passed. Oh well, I suppose it's too much to ask for an election to be all good news. I guess the silver lining is that it passed by a much smaller amount than it did 8 years ago, and it also looks like the marriages of the 18,000 same-sex couples that already took place will still be legal.
allright, i need a little explanation. the california supreme court declared it legal, and then voting declared it illegal?
did prop 8 make it illegal, which the state supreme court can just overturn?
or was it worded to get around that ruling or something?
(this is me being lazy and not wanting to do gay research.)
(you see what i did there?)
This is what I found
Yeah, it looks like this too can be overturned by the state supreme court (or, ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court if they went that route).
Now I have to say that while I am disappointed in the result of the vote I disagree with the lawsuits being filed. Or, I should say, I disagree with the lawsuits being filed right now. If these individuals really believed that the ballot initiative was illegal, the lawsuits should have been filed before the election. Now it just looks like what it really is: people that were perfectly willing to accept the legality of it as long as it went their way, but now that it hasn't they have decided it was illegal.
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