Thoughts on the election

(I'm not really bothering with Monday Updates this week, but fyi - I had a very nice weekend that involved seeing the movie W, going to Westwood, and getting some work done)

1. It has been such a long election cycle. I think I'm excited at this point because it's almost over and George W. Bush will no longer be our president. I excited that we will have a new administration with fresh ideas.

2. I will be happy that we can refocus on issues that have been set aside because of the election, like Darfur, education, and poverty.

3. I really hope Obama wins. Yes, he's up in the polls, and yes I think he'll win, but I'm still worried. Our country's electorate isn't as thoughtful as I'd like and the idea that Obama could lose because people think he's a socialist that's hanging out with terrorists really makes me upset. Yes I know many people are voting FOR McCain and not AGAINST Obama, and I don't have a problem with that. I think if you can make an informed argument for McCain you deserve to vote for him. It's the whole, believing everything you hear and read thing that bothers me (Does that make sense?). And when you add that to this seemingly underlying acceptance that racism against Muslims is okay, I go crazy.

4. I spent a lot of time trying to decide whether to post on California Proposition 8. I'm not partly because I made it a personal policy not to express my political opinions on the blog -- I think it goes against my blog's purpose, which is to update my friends and family on my life. I did make an exception to tell my own personal story of why I supported Obama from the beginning. But the truth is, it's too hard for me to articulate my own personal relationship with Prop 8 without sounding extremely angry and judgemental (If you're interested in how I'm voting, it's on my facebook page or you can send me a message).

5. Another thing about the propositions: It's frustrating to have to vote "no" on issues that I in principle agree with because the state has no money. Yes, I want higher sentencing for gang members, but our prisons are way too overcrowded as it is. I guess you could vote yes, but seriously, we have no money and we barely got a loan this year.

6. I am voting on election day. Yes, you can vote early in California, but now worried that the lines to vote early will be longer than they are at my polling location on election day. I plan to get there a half hour before the polls open and stay until I vote, even if I have to miss my morning classes. If there was ever a day to have a legitimate absence, I think election day would be it. Plus, I want to show off my sticker :-).

7. It's been a fun election. Partly because the party I'm affiliated with got the lion's share of the media coverage, and Partly because it's been so unpredictable.

8. Also, this election parallels the election on The West Wing so well, it's eerie. (For you West Wing fans who've felt the same, I did some online research and it turns out that the Santos character was modeled after Sen. Obama. No word on McCain) Here are the similarities:

Santos-Obama: inexperienced congressman of color has big ideas, runs a long shot primary campaign against the sitting VP and squeeks out the nomination.

Vinick-McCain: maverick conservative with a wide range of supporters. Older than many, has sat in the senate for decades.

Russell-Clinton: established candidate with the competitive edge in the primary

Hoynes-Edwards: primary candidate who has an illicit affair. Difference here is everyone knew about Hoynes' before he ran for the nomination.

McGarry-Biden: Catholic from northeast with foreign policy experience

Sullivan-Palin: VP Republican pick that the Republican base loves but doesn't necessarily jive with the policies at the top of the ticket.

Nuclear Crisis/Financial Crisis: In the West Wing, the surprise before the election that gave Santos the boost needed to win was the incident at the "San Andreo Nuclear Station in San Diego" (sound familiar? ask my dad about that one). The economic crisis we're currently having gave Obama a similar boost that could be the deciding factor.

In short, the West Wing writers were either extremely intuitive or extremely lucky. Either way, it's a fun analysis.

Anyway - those are my thoughts on the election, if you were wondering :-). I'll be tuning into election night with my law school friends at an event thrown by the student bar association.

Have a good rest of the week!