There are days, albeit not entirely very many, where I actually sort of feel about a drop of sympathy for anyone sitting in the presidential office in the US. I think I might be able to spare two drops for this–but only if it doesn’t get completely blown out of proportion. So, in other words, probably not.
More and more American citizens are becoming disenchanted with the way Barack Obama’s handling t hings south of the border. In fact, it’d probably be simpler to say if opinion polls drove presidential elections, he’d be looking for another job tonight. But that hasn’t been able to grab headlines since about 6 months after he took office–something about the status quo being considered old news or something. So instead, headlines are shifting to another viewpoint–the religious aspect. And, right on queue, they latch onto a poll that escentially says more people think Obama’s a muslim than did last year.
What a person’s religion should have to do with how they’re running the country, so long as the more extreme elements of that religion don’t end up making it into law–no honour killings, thank you very much, I will probably never understand. But, the majority of folks who seem to think of Obama as a muslim also happen to be in the same camp as folks who don’t approve of how he’s handling things so far as the economy, healthcare, etc. Anyone else seeing a patern, here?
I’ve been known to miss the obvious a time or three, but I’m not getting what his being christian, muslim, gewish or whatever has to do with his ability or lack thereof to run the country. Aside from the fact that in some US camps, all non-christians should be placed on a terrorism watch list–but that’s a rant for an entirely different entry. He has a congressional majority, at least until November. He has a senate majority, or close to it, also at least until November. If he really wanted to bring in whatever laws are more appropriate for whatever religion he chooses to subscribe to, you’d think it wouldn’t be entirely too difficult to do so.
Once again, the US has Canada’s problem in reverse. Where south of the border there’s a growing faction of folks trying to label Obama a pro-muslim nazi dictator, in Canada we have the same faction–meaning folks who don’t necessarily agree with what the current government up here is trying–naming Stephen Harper as a pro-christian dictator. I’m willing to bet neither is coming altogether entirely too close to the truth, though they do unintentionally reinforce the opinion that religion, be it favourable or not, has absolutely no place in the political halls of your country of choice.
In continuing with the theme of the previous entry, even at this level and on this side of the border, nevermind all politics being local–all politics is becoming more and more personal. Where a mayoral candidate broke the wrong law 11 years ago, Barack Obama was given the wrong name, and lived in the wrong country, with the wrong parents when he was a child. Now, t hey both get to wear that in 2010 while media and political entities established to oppose them go to work t rying to turn that into someething damning to their chances at actually doing a semi-decent–or at least, less aweful than those who came before them–job at keeping their respective jurisdictions from going completely to hell–metaphorically, or religiously. Forget about the issues of the day. We’ve got ages old dirty laundry to sling!
Put religion in bed with politics, you’re gonna have a bloody divorce. Put teenaged mistakes in bed with politics, you’re gonna have a hell of a fireworks display. Put either in front of a TV camera, and it’s a match made in hell. Doesn’t it just make you want to run for office?
Update: Apparently, changes to the Google Analytics code over here do not play nice with the LJ copy of this entry. We’ve fixed that malfunction. Small note to LJ: let me use javascript in my goddamn entries, goddammit.