Yes They... Can?

I'm going to preface this entry by saying that I am not a student of political science, nor am I an expert on how campaigns are supposed to be run. These are just the observations of an educated student.

I attended a home meeting for the Obama presidential campaign today. It was hosted by an old friend of the family and I was sort of bullied into attendance. However, I had spent most of the primary season divorced from politics because I very quickly got tired of the Clinton vs. Obama grudge match. So I took this as a good opportunity to get caught up on the political climate.

Aside from the utter stupidity that was the Democrat's primary season, I didn't know much about Obama. I was originally a Clinton supporter, because of her strong stance on health care, which I very much support. I expected this little house meeting to brief its attendance on exactly what platforms Obama was choosing to focus on in the coming months.

But what actually happened was a half-hour ramble on why Obama's campaign is so strong. It became increasingly clear as the meeting went on, that Obama intends to run his entire presidential campaign, on the strength of his primary campaign. That is to say, there was no content in the meeting whatsoever. If he is elected, it will be based solely on the fact that he generated a 'grass roots' support group in the primary, who's entire goal was to elect any democrat to office.

Obama has been criticized by the media for not having strong stances on major issues and not having the sort of voting record that would establish his commitment to any causes. However, I did not quite realize that these deficits were forcing him to run a hollow campaign. There is no substance, on the local level, behind Obama. And while his publicists can spin him into positive positions on almost any issue, there really isn't anything that the average voter can get behind.

Which is not to say that I will not be voting for Obama come November 2^nd. While McCain's stance on the environment is refreshing from the Right, Obama's declared democratic leanings align more closely with my beliefs. But this is no excuse for the utter lack of substance that Obama is presenting. A man's intellect and articulation can only take a nation so far. But without stronger stances on the issues and clear goals for his term in office, the nation might as well be electing Jim Carry.

Muah!
Lyrinoir

Darker than black

Somewhere deep inside me is a sane person. Someday, someone will get to talk to him.

There's something very primal about real darkness. Not city darkness, because that is just shadows and absences. But real darkness has a presence. It has a physicality.

In a forest, the dark is a gentle unknown, full of mystery, a dash of fear and the joy of being in a place so full of life. In a theater, the black is blank canvas, waiting for a splash of light to illuminate something out of the imagination. In the middle of the ocean, the darkness is a crushing blanket, pressing you to the surface of the sea.

I've long since ceased to be afraid of the dark. I know too much about it to let if frighten me anymore. Sometimes I'll let myself be afraid of whats in the dark, but that is a different matter entirely. And yet, there is something truly terrifying about the dark of an empty house.

I'm not talking about Home Alone scared, or even horror movie terrified. I'm talking about that deeply seeded primal fear of death that unconsciously haunts each and every one of us who know what death is like. The ones who have gone past the place where we still think we're immortal.

Mind you, I don't think I'm about to keel over dead in my sleep. It's just this sense that has been flirting with my conscious mind in the wee hours of the morning/night when I should be sleeping. I've never liked being alone. I fill the void with music or a good book or the electronic comfort of my computer. Preferably two of the three. But in the dark of the night, the oppressive absence crushes back in on me.

Hmm...

Well, that was depressing.

Muah!
Lyrinoir