Let's see... Where do I begin on a first entry, especially an entry on a political weblog. For politics, the beginning was way before my time, and the end will be way beyond my time – all I get to experience is... the middle.
I might have to remember that quote – I'll probably be using it again eventually.
In any case, I suppose I should use this opening entry to talk about my least favorite subject: me. So how did someone like me wind up making his travels here to the Daily Kos? Well, I guess it can be attributed to the Boortz Effect – where someone can gain attention and increase the fan base due to negative publicity – as the only time I heard mention of DK (that I can recall) was from Bill O'Reilly way back when (you can probably fill in the blanks on the description better than I). I decided to give this place a try, and here I am.
First, to recite what I am not: I am not a Democrat, I am not a Republican, I am not a conservative, I am not a liberal. In Star Wars terms, I'm not a Jedi, I'm not a Sith, I don't walk the light side, I don't walk the dark side – speaking of which, does anyone else find it awfully easy to crossover Star Wars with real-world politics? That aside, I do take elements from each "camp" or "philosophy" instead of adhering to each completely. I could probably never be 100% conservative because of my views on homosexuality, and I'll never be 100% liberal because of my firm beliefs about abortion – as some of you learned in the past week.
As for where specifically I fall on the conservative-liberal spectrum? Tell me which camp the Constitution, limited government, free speech, equal rights, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and achieving the American Dream fall into, and I'll be able to tell you.
As for my views on Republicans and Democrats, I often find them to be accusing mirrors. They have standards for their own party, have a different set of standards for the other party, and often use America as the factory for their representing philosophies, be it liberal or conservative. For me, standards are standards and hypocrisy is hypocrisy. One hypothetical:
A 33 year-old physically attractive female United States Senator decides to pose naked for an adult men's publication.
If she were a Democrat:
What would the right wing media say?
What would the left wing media say?
If she were a Republican:
What would the right wing media say?
What would the left wing media say?
What about Republicans and Democrats under both scenarios, what would they say?
Point proven.
What all little things am I up to? Well, for now I have this one project, which is... a piece of writing... which is going to be politically oriented. It involves a United States Senator who faces the question of "What do you do when lobbyists want you to this, constituents want you do that, the party colleagues want you to do something else, and your own moral judgment tells you to do otherwise?" Sure, it's been done before, but hopefully I can somehow keep it original. There will most likely be views on society, politics, America, amongst other things.
And yes, she is 33, attractive and a Democrat. I don't know if I want to run with the adult magazine photoshoot idea though.
The idea is a little over a month old, so as a whole it's still in it's infancy. There's a great deal of material for me to draw from, but the trick will be not to be overwhelmed by it, since there is so much out there and it increases every day.
Writing (especially fictional writing) has been a hobby of mine since... wow, way back when I used to think the Republicans were the good guys and the Democrats were the bad guys. Cartoons on Saturdays, and Rush Limbaugh on weekdays during school breaks can do that to someone in elementary school. Yep, I was raised a dittohead by my grandfather (I was raised by my grandparents through a good portion of my childhood), no point in denying it. The good news was that I did develop an interest in politics at a young age as a result.
I am an avid fan/student of the game of football - Go Chiefs, Go Riders. I'm into the game at all levels - heck I still follow my high school football team even though I graduated nearly 3 years ago.
So let's see... What else do I talk about? Limbaugh? That's been beaten to death already. The economy? It seems to be going from "worse" to "worser" to "worst" with each passing day. What's funny is when you have certain people who are struggling to find a job still in a state of denial about the economy, repeating the Republican talking points of 6 months ago. I guess even deluded optimism is optimism nonetheless. It will get better, though. Whether it's Obamanomics or Reaganomics, it'll get better. Hey, my spellchecker accepts "Reaganomics" - never knew it made the dictionary. Learn something new every day.
I'll check the headlines. Iran test-fires new missile. I assume it's time to demand the "Bombing of Iran" again...
You know, isn't that an interesting thought? When you consider that three people brought down the Soviet Empire without firing a shot, the same people who place them on a pedestal demand that a 50 tetraton bomb fall from a Boeing aircraft over the skies of Tehran. Now why is that? I could say, "It's because conservatism is a terminal illness," but there has to be more to it than that. That's like saying, "Liberalism is a mental disorder" to explain every liberal phenomenon.
My first week here has been actually quite fun - a lot different than I thought it would be, given what I was expecting out of this place.
Anyway, how about a little political football?