By snoadmin
The political campaigns during the past year and a half have by far been more thrilling than any Six Flags roller coaster ride. Republicans may wish to close their eyes on this editorial to avoid feeling marginalized.
Way back in February, the Daily Forty-Niner was among the first college newspapers in the country to endorse Barack Obama for president. We’ve stuck to our guns and still endorse the enigmatic candidate from Illinois.
It was a tough choice though. Many in our informal in-house poll backed Hillary Clinton. In fact, she only lost our endorsement by one vote. Clinton went on to run an incredible campaign that caused “18 million cracks in the glass ceiling,” showing she is a force to be reckoned with, no matter what pants suit she may be wearing on a given day.
Throughout that in-your-face Democratic battle, we were shown that race, religion and sex are still important crucibles in American politics. Skin tone, spirituality and gender were used as weapons against both candidates by their Republican counterparts.
The Investigation
As were most Americans, we became concerned about race and/or religion being factors in this election. We heard numerous rumors about Obama, some from his own friends in various ministries and some from white supremacists, but we needed to find out for ourselves, so we put ace investigators on the case.
Through this exhaustive study, we were able to come to the conclusion that Obama is indeed black, or at least half black. We know that will come as a shock to many, or at least a half shock, but we hope skin color doesn’t influence their votes.
Worries about Obama’s spiritual conviction surfaced. In a land based entirely on Christian values, it surfaced early on that he could be a — gasp — Muslim. The prospect of having a terrorist run the country seemed appalling. Much to our surprise, our detectives pointed out, being a Muslim doesn’t equate to being a terrorist and religious conviction shouldn’t be a determinant in U.S. politics.
We were fairly certain that Obama has a wife and two daughters, assuring us that he is heterosexual. So we called off our dogs on the “gay” distraction, even though our friend Karl Rove, the “Dark Lord” of negative campaigns, thought it was worth pursuing.
The Indictment
We witnessed a fracture in the Republican Party as hard-liners clung to ultra-conservative values, but nominated John McCain, the maverick, anyway. He is indeed a right-wing, or at least half right-wing stumper.
The world was shocked when McCain chose an unknown Alaska governor as his running mate. Sarah Palin re-invigorated the right wing with her in-depth knowledge of international affairs and economic structures.
Feminists across the landscape saw in her a renewed interest in women’s issues like abortion, male political dominance and gender pay-scale equality. With the most candid “Hockey Mommery” she could muster, she showed she’s against that entire list of feminine skullduggery, by golly.
The McCain/Palin ticket took umbrage with Obama’s propensity toward perceived economic radicalism. When he announced he would tax anybody who makes more than $250,000 per year, the higher echelon of the economic strata panicked.
No shortage of cries that “Obama is a socialist” hit the airwaves and blog-o-sphere, even though it would only tax the upper 2 percent of the population. Why should wealthy people have to pay their share of the cost to run a country? Shouldn’t that be an American proletariat responsibility, McCain and Palin cried?
The Verdict
This election cycle has been more intense and exciting than those in recent memory. It has offered thrills and spills, and a whole lot of name-calling.
This was to be expected with Rove lurking in the ultra-conservative background, manipulating negative campaign messages as he had done in both of King George’s successful bids to the throne in 2000 and 2004. Rove’s fingerprints undoubtedly have been all over this campaign, too.
We’ve watched nearly every attempt at character assassination, and even a foiled plot to kill Obama. The McCain/Palin bid to rule has been run with contempt and hatred, while Obama has proven he can survive and grow.
In hindsight, though, we hope the voting majority will see beyond the shenanigans and negativity. The U.S. image has suffered a serious beat-down during the past eight years and we sincerely endorse positive change.
That’s why we encourage voters to enter the voting booth tomorrow with a “Gobama” resolve to hear him take the oath of office on Jan. 20.
OK, Republicans, you can open your eyes.
