Enough already?!

So I hate when people use their blogs for political rants, and I usually try to keep mine to a minimum, unless someone says something ridiculous or completely unfounded- then they’re just asking for it. But the latest cover of the New Yorker blew me away. Here we have every right-wing stereotype, scare tactic, and misinformation thrown at Obama in this campaign: in the Oval Office, picture of Bin Laden above the fireplace, flag burning in the roaring fire, dressed in Muslim garb, Mrs. Obama (who will be the tightest first lady ever-she's just as much a rock star as her husband) with an afro and a machine gun. It shouldn’t seem like such a big deal, seeing as New Yorker readers are presumably sophisticated enough not to buy this stuff, and to appreciate the satire, but this was just crossing the line for me. Why? Because this is just the type of thing that uninformed, close-minded, don’t question what FOX news hands me conservatives love. Take my uncle, for example, whom I love a ton, but we are complete political opposites. Just last Sunday he told me he won’t vote for Obama because he scares him and he’s bad for America.

What scares him about Obama? The exact stereotypes depicted on this cover. Disagree with Obama, that’s totally fine. I’ve got problems with some of his ‘flip-flopping’ on a few issues--new positions on FISA, gun control, and NAFTA--and moving to the middle to grab undecided swing voters. While I appreciate satirizing the politics of fear, haven’t we had enough?? It’s been almost 7 years since 9/11 and it completely baffles me that people still buy into this. Read up on the candidates, separate fact from fiction and make an informed decision, but don’t just go along with whatever you’re handed.

I can’t stand McCain but I wouldn’t say that he actually scares me. Other than the fact that I’m scared the old guy may drop dead his first day in office. Rant over. I promise these won’t happen too often.