Jul 14 2008
An Open Letter to Barack Obama
Dear Senator Obama,
The cover of the July 21 issue of The New Yorker is funny. It is not offensive or incendiary or a provocative attempt to obtain media coverage. It is satire.
By condemning it publicly, you have not only caused the media to once again use the word “slam” in a context I detest; you have also made it appear that you lack a sense of humor. You are like a child responding to an insult with “AM NOT!” instead of the kind of self-deprecating wisecrack that shuts bullies up instantly — the kind that says “I am above this petty nonsense.”
I would respect you forevermore if your response to this portrayal had been to stand up at a press conference and announce with a straight face that you were indeed a terrorist hell-bent on the destruction of America. That you and your wife had posed for the caricature artist. That you have pallets of American flags shipped to you in winter, at great expense, to keep your house warm. If you had spun a tale so ridiculously unlikely that you simultaneously made your point and mocked those who criticize you, I would respect you. Sarcasm demonstrates the capacity for wit, and wit is one of the few ways you can convince cynical judges of character of your intelligence. Just like the schoolyard bullies, those who seek to damage your appearance would be left with much less ammunition.
Between this incident and your feeble pandering to idiots across the political spectrum over the past few weeks, I now find myself in serious doubt of your character. It becomes painfully obvious that you will no more stand up for what is right than the rest of the parade of hollow, impotent leaders to whom we have been subjected over the past decades.
Would someone, anyone, please start treating us like we’re the tiniest bit intelligent?
Yours in aggravation,
Michael
“Non est mea culpa, eligi Kodos.”
That was my response to the situation too. I was like, look, the New Yorker did something satirical and timely, how whimsical of them. Gee, maybe they’re not as outdated as they seem.
I was expecting some mention from you of crappy religious pandering on behalf of Obama. Little disappointed, but I guess that’s not the topic this post aims to address.
On the note of questioning character - John Cusack said over and over on a Washpost chat a couple weeks ago that we should all vote for Obama, much to my distaste. Cusack absolutely has the right to discuss his political views in a public forum, but blindly supporting one person regardless of issues that pop up is idiotic and falls into the unquestioning nature of the general public that got us into this mess in the first place. All this arguing for a candidate on the platform that he will change politics is bull. No one can.
For all our talking about politics, I don’t see a whole lot of discourse happening. A reminder to all candidates: You’re not running against someone for president. You are running for president. Prove you’re the best person for the job, not just throughout the country, but through the world. Don’t just try to prove you’re better than your opponent. I want the smartest, most confident person in the world to be my country’s president. I want my president to be guided by the seemingly contradictory taoist principles of being flexible and strong, of being wise and knowing he/she knows nothing. I want someone who will keep striving to his or her best, which means accepting criticism and satire as part of the job.
I think we all should stop talking about what we don’t want, and start taking the affirmative. What do I want in government? In a president? In my representatives and congress-people?
write-in vote for Kodos?
The voting system is really at fault here. Our winner-takes-all system makes people afraid to vote for third parties, which is extremely dangerous when the major parties start to become indistinguishable. Some very intelligent people have invented a multitude of superior systems (IRV, Borda count, range voting, etc.), any of which would be an improvement. But that would entail real change to the way we do business, which is unthinkable for some reason.
For all the Democrats’ talk about change and progress, our country today behaves like a corporation so terrified of losing profits that it is paralyzed (and destroyed) by change. Are our people really so stupid that they believe change always means misery in the short term? Come on, USA, let’s do something wacky. At the very least we can all feel like we’re in this together again.
I think Obama’s religious pandering falls under “feeble pandering to idiots across the political spectrum.” It just happened to annoy you and me more than most of his other pandering.
Also, you’re not the first person to advocate writing in Kodos.
Our winner-takes-all system makes people afraid to vote for third parties, which is extremely dangerous when the major parties start to become indistinguishable.
yes, this. and yet people at work look at me funny when I say I don’t see too many differences between the two major parties anymore.
My letter to Obama would only be two words long. That guy is just a waste of time - anyone hawho has done what is required to become a US presidential candidate really isn’t worth voting for