A Rare Political Endorsement

As regular readers of Mp3some well know, I try to keep my postings strictly musical in nature. Aside from my belief that long-standing Republican dynasties and bad mainstream music go hand in hand (see: 1980 - 1988, 2000 - 2008), politics and music usually don't mix in my mind. However, I have decided in the wake of the New Hampshire primary to deliver a political endorsement. I am not under the impression that my opinions will have any bearings on your own decisions, and I do not expect to change any minds. This said, in the off chance that I might change some minds, I am writing.

First things first: I am a terribly cynical individual. In general, I view politicians with a vast amount of contempt. I tolerate and mildly support those individuals who work towards my own agenda, and scoff at the rest as pandering fools (which isn't to say that the ones I do tolerate aren't pandering fools - they've just done a decent job of pandering to me, and so I accept them).

This said, for the first time in my life, I am genuinely excited about a presidential candidate. I do not feel as if I am being pandered to, nor as if I am choosing a lesser of two (or in the case of the primaries, the least of several) evils. For the first time, I understand what it must have felt like to see RFK running in '68. I am speaking, of course, of Barack Obama and his candidacy. In a political landscape characterized by fear mongering, sloganeering, and hard-headed partisanship, Mr. Obama has remained a force insistent upon adhering to principles of positivity, intelligent discussion, and pragmatism. If there is anybody who can reverse the course of this country after the last eight years with a belligerent ape at the helm, I believe it is Obama.

Consider this cynic charmed. Rarely are mainstream candidates this good. We ought to take advantage of this situation by electing him.

On another note: if you're a registered Republican, will you do us all a favor and do what you can to make sure Mitt Romney doesn't get the nomination? As a former Massachusetts resident, I saw what Romney's strong leadership consisted of: a load of broken promises, position changes, and a style of governance that was horribly out of step with his state's populace. Not that I voted for him in the first place. Mitt Romney is the most dangerous man currently running for president (with Mike Huckabee close behind), and he must be stopped.

Anyway, enough of this political missive. Back to the music.