A post about politics that isn't really about politics but still kind-of is. And go

I have always liked President Bush.

Actually I guess that's not true. I have liked President George W. Bush since I was in 4th grade. I was in 4th grade when 9/11 happened. As a simple 9 year-old I saw something bad happen and then I saw an incredible amount of pride in our country sweep the nation. I saw our President acting strongly and speaking resolutely. I liked what he had to say. I liked that he wasn't going to let those people who had hurt my countrymen and women get away with it. I liked him and I have liked him ever since.

This is one of my favorite pictures :)

Now, this is not to say that I agree with everything he's ever done ever in his life. I like him the same way that I like President Obama. Yeah that's right guys, I like President Obama.

Again though, I am not saying I agree with any/all/some of his policies. The truth is there are things I disagree with for both of them. But here's why I like them....

I like them bc I don't think either of them meant/means to harm America. I believe that both of them LOVE America! This makes me happy.

Now, just because I like somebody doesn't mean it stops there. I do wish that certain things weren't happening in America right now. The same goes for when the Bush Administration was around. You can like someone and not agree with everything they do. It's allowed, guys.

I think it's okay to disagree with someone's policies, but that doesn't make them the anti-Christ. It doesn't mean they are horrible people. It just means that they think and act differently than you, and I personally like that we have the freedom to do that.

The other day I saw this thing. I think it was on facebook. It was this picture

And the caption was something like, "President Obama caught reading a book by fellow Muslim Fareed Zakaria. It is called The Post-American World. Have any doubts about where his policy choices are leading now??"

I was so pissed off by this. Here's the dealio, guys. I read Fareed Zakaria. Paige and I lovee reading Fareed Zakaria. Any PoliSci student has read/will read/is reading right now Fareed Zakaria. He is a noted Political Scientist who is a naturalized US citizen. In one of his lectures he said, "I voted with my feet. I wanted to be part of America."

No, I am not saying that I agree with everything Fareed Zakaria says. I don't. However, I do very much love hearing him talk. He is an excellent speaker and I enjoy the perspectives he gives. He is a pretty smart guy.


I think it is really bad politics to try to take something about someone like religion and have that be the say-all, end-all of that person. Just because someone is Mormon, or Catholic, or Muslim, or Protestant, does not mean that they are the worst human being imaginable and not fit to run the country. It just means that they are someone who has a different religion than you.

"I find it preposterous that in 2011 we’re debating whether or not a man is qualified or worthy of your vote based on whether or not his religion ... is a disqualifying provision."

-Vice President Joe Biden on Romney's Mormonism

I seriously love that quote.


Now, this isn't to say that everyone is on equal grounds here. If the president of a crazy cult was running for office, it would be a different story. If someone publishes a book, say it is called....Mein Kauf and in it he details his plans for the destruction of entire peoples, you should judge him based off that absolutely.


But bringing religion, race, etc., into things is such a desperately low blow. It's bringing politics away from politics. Those things shouldn't matter to you.


What should matter are the policies of those running. Do you know them? You should. Blindly going along with someone bc of anything else is not the way it should be done. Holding grudges because of one policy that you don't like is another wrong way to go about politics.


It is important to remember that, like him/her or not, we are stuck with our president for at least four years andd it could even be eight. So, you can sit around griping about it all you want, those four years are still gonna happen. It would be very beneficial, however, if you stopped saying everything that was going wrong and started coming up with solutions and sharing them with others in a constructive manner. We don't always need to be at each other's throats. It is quite unproductive.


America is the leader of the free world, and its citizens should consider that responsibility, whether they want us to have it or not, very carefully. Our decisions of those we vote into office will absolutely affect the entire world. We should take it seriously and look at what matters.

This stuff doesn't.