Final thoughts on the Election, or I'm done talking about politics for a while now.

Like millions of Americans I voted yesterday. Given the long, drawn out election and everything that goes with it I'll jump in with the other internet talking heads and contribute my two cents. I voted for Obama and I'm glad he won. A few thoughts on the election, reactions to it, and observations on people my age.

The election process in this country is way more complicated and drawn out than it needs to be. I understand that we are a huge country and covering that much territory takes time. But how significantly did the candidates positions on the issues change during the course of the election? Since the actual election is always in November, the economic crisis would have still hit if the thing were shorter and the outcome would probably be the same.

Nevertheless, last night was an historic moment in American history. It will be one of those times where you recall where you were when they announced that Obama had won. I, unfortunately, was taking the dog out to pee. Seeing and hearing the pundits talk about the significance of electing an African-American president was really interesting. I believe it was Chris Matthews who made an interesting point about the correlation between race and age. To paraphrase, he said that this election result affected the psyche of people over the age of 45. For those younger folks, especially under 30, they tended to view Obama as just another guy and not as a "black" guy. I had never thought of it that way since I'm under 30 and just thought of Obama as another guy. Go figure.

One of my best friends updated his Facebook status to read: "Dear McCain voter under 30: You're an idiot." To a certain extent I understand that sentiment. Of course my brother is under 30 and I'm sure he voted for McCain, assuming he voted. But I also understand why he would. Plus, my brother is a rational person and doesn't fall back on ridiculous comments about socialism and heathenism. It seems to me that a lot of young McCain voters simply voted the same way their parents traditionally did, i.e. they come from upper/upper middle class families. The real failure, it seems to me, is their inability to actually examine the issues and each candidate's position on them and really wrestle with what their respective impacts would be. For me the big issues were education, health care, and the environment. Leaving the public schools in the hands of a "free market" is about the asinine idea ever and would only worsen districts that are already hurting.

The McCain health care plan, well, it was a joke. McCain kept saying that people shouldn't have a bureaucrat deciding their medical treatment. Even if boiled down to such a simple relationship, which, if you know anything about other national health services, does not happen, the real question to be asked is this: Would you rather have someone tell you that you CAN have a necessary procedure, even if you have to wait a few months (because it's not an emergency), OR would you rather have someone tell you that either a.) you can't have the procedure at all, or b.) you can have the procedure but it will cost you your house, life savings, kids' college funds, etc. That seems like a no brainer. Detractors call Obama a socialist. Not only is this incorrect, it shows a vast misunderstanding of what socialism is. When I was in Europe this summer I was talking to a guy about American politics, and he laughed at the idea that Obama was a socialist. In Europe, he would be considered conservative, undoubtedly. Americans use the term socialism interchangeably with communism in order to provoke fear and condemn what they don't understand. It's really sad. It's even more sad that a lot of people my age, college educated people, make these same accusations without examining what they really mean.

People are certainly entitled to their opinions, and like my Dad says, as long as they're informed opinions I have no problem debating with them. But those folks that just talk out of their ass and use fear and lack of reason (on either end of the political spectrum) to make their point aren't making a point at all. I had no problem talking politics with McCain supporters during this election, My brother and my cousin both supported McCain and we were able to have intelligent, rational conversations without turning to sniping and petty bullshit. That's the way it should be. There are too many people that latch on to one small thing, usually incorrect, and ride it with a virulence that is both ignorant and disheartening. Perhaps my lack of political conviction colors my opinion. I'm a moderate. I've voted in three presidential elections and never voted for the same party more than once (I voted for Nader in 2000). While hindsight is always 20/20 and looking back I don't always agree with my decisions, a big part of that was what was happening at the time, how it affected me, and my education of the issues. This time I feel like I was on the ball and suitably informed. It looks like American politics might experience a paradigm shift with this election, and personally, I think that's a good thing. If we move to a more European socio-economic model, I think that's alright, so long as we retain the aspects that keep us distinctly American. I have no doubt this would happen. So put away the vitriol and let's see what happens before making these stupid, uninformed, often times racist, comments. America may have taken a huge step forward by electing Obama president, but it still has a long way to go.

The political use of WWI memory: An American case

Granted, one of my minor fields is American history, but I'll be the first to tell you that I find the subject dour and boring. Nevertheless, when I came across this article on CNN I had to pause for moment. It discusses the recent honoring of the last American WWI vet. As someone who studies the First World War and it's memory, I find this blatant use of the memory of the war for political ends to be deplorable. The entire gist of my dissertation is to challenge this sort of official, top-down politicization of WWI memory in Ireland. The most interesting aspect of this article, at least for me, was the desire of others outside the bounds of the government to have a proper memorial to the veterans of the First World War in the national mall. I'm not suggesting the Mr. Buckles should not be or is unworthy of being honored. That's not the case as at all. Furthermore, I think it's great that his story garners national attention. It's just the timing of the event I have a problem with. In the midst of an election year, where the Iraq war is a hot topic. To truly honor Mr. Buckles, the government should have honored him this past November. After all, in America Veteran's Day is on the 11th of November, which is Remembrance Day in Britain and Ireland, a day which derives its importance from the end of the First World War.

Another one bites the dust

A week or so ago, I made a quick observation about Ian Paisley, Jr. resigning his position in the Northern Irish government. This week his father, Ian Paisley, Sr., announced that he will step down in May of 2008. This begs the question: What's next for Northern Ireland?

Paisley, Sr. made it clear (taking a jab the hierarchical Catholic Church in the process, no doubt) that when he steps down from the NI government, it will be a clean break. The fact that his son resigned last week ensures that there will not be a "chosen successor" to run the DUP.

As I ruminated before, the situation in Northern Ireland has the potential to make some giant steps forward without the Paisley's calling the shots. Hopefully, their fellow party members will be a bit more tactful and amenable in the way they handle power-sharing in Northern Ireland. Let's hope that that power-sharing continues!

A rare political piece

As an historian, my girlfriend often chides me about my total lack of regard for contemporary American politics. But what can I say? It's all the same posturing, nothing ever changes, and frankly it's not very interesting. However, last night on Leno I caught part of his interview with Republican candidate Ron Paul and I was impressed with what the guy had to say. Mainly, I enjoyed his strong adherence to republicanism (with a small "r"), that is, keeping government small and letting social and economic forces play out in a free market. This got me wondering about where we went wrong as a political nation. Clearly, I think it was the New Deal that created a government people needed and relied on. Of course, this was a matter of survival in the 30s and 40s. Then in the 50s it seems like the government started to exploit the system in a way that only worsened in the 60s and 70s. By that time, federal government was too big to reduce, and the coming of Reagan was the final straw. Today though, despite an economic recession, I think it's more important than ever to reduce the size of the national government and allot greater sovereignty to individual states. It just seems that the entire system is broke and needs to be fixed, and reducing the size of government is one feasible way and one that is in accordance with the principles this nation was founded upon. Furthermore, accountability would be restored on an individual and local level.

Since we're talking about a system overhaul, I think one area politicians need to look is the state of campaigning in this country. Yes, we are a large country with a population over 300 million, but that is no reason to have 1-2 year presidential campaigns. The British parliamentary system has is right. When the British form a new government they campaign for about a month and then have their elections. How pleasant would it be to simply have campaigns in October and then vote in November. There's less posturing, bullshit, and mudslinging that way and it is much more cost effective. By having less time to run a campaign it would be easier (theoretically) for individuals of more modest means to gain access to the American political system. If there is a more socially representative population in the house and the senate then there would be less need for PACs and other lobby groups. It just seems to me that solutions are simple, but that people don't want to have to deal with the whining and are unwilling to undergo a little hardship for the greater, long-term good. That myopic perspective is what got us here in the first place.