Arbitrary Geographic Considerations of Obama vs. Clinton

Posted by Alan Childress

I have reconsidered my view since my prior post, in which I had commented on The Onion’s opinion about Barack Obama. 

I changed my mind and decided it is time to get past all the racial and gender politics.  Chris Matthews and Pat Buchannan keep asking ‘how the white male’ voted, and let me tell you that being treated as some stereotypic monolith hurts.  Like when the waitress just assumes I wanted Miracle Whip on my sandwich.  Or people in elevators start humming The Captain and Tennille and Art Garfunkel songs around me, as if I am some walking envoy of the Caucasian Cultural Coalition.   Do you have any idea what it is like when random profs at the AALS Conference ask me if I know Joe Blow who teaches at Creighton, or express surprise that I never heard of Leonardo De Vinchi, just because they are white?  Oh like we all know each other. 

I am tired of gender disempowerment as well.  With my wife, it’s all take out the garbage this, and do you have to leave your underwear on the dining room floor that, all because I am a man and am supposed to have muscles and pick up things. Hey I proved I can lift the toilet seat, isn’t that enough? 

It is better that the TV pundits are starting to pick candidates based on arbitrary geographic coincidence and not with the divisive politics The Onion proposes.  Barack Obama spent his formative years in a state or city with the word ‘Kansas’ in it, just like Harry Truman.  And with all due respect to David Palmer in 24 and his attracting nuclear weapons (referenced in the onion editorial), it is a fact that Kansan Harry Truman is the only one to drop them.  And Eisenhower had an affair with his military driver.  Do we want a president who cheats on his wife and uses nuclear weapons?  I think not.  Worse, consider that the most recent Kansan on the ticket, Bob Dole, now touts Viagra.  I do not want a president who drops nuclear bombs and is hopped up on Viagra to have his finger on the button. 

This all speaks for the safer choice, John McCain.