Some Questions About the 2008 Election Season

Here are a few questions that I have pondered over the course of the last year. I want to submit them myself since there are not too many people asking them in the media.

1. Why are democrats acting like they have a cohesive platform right now?

2. Why has the Democratic Party been the reactionary party over the last twenty years?

3. Why is it an issue that 90% of African Americans have been voting for Senator Obama? Why was this not an issue when 90% of African Americans supported Gore in 2000 and 84% voted for Clinton in 1996? Does this mean that black Americans are only supposed to support a non-black candidate en masse (and when it is convenient for the majority of Americans)?

4. Is this the reason why there is not a similar discussion about whether or not Senator Clinton could carry the “black” vote? Could one infer that Democrats are taking the vote of African Americans for granted?

5. Why did it take Reverend Wright’s sermons for people to stop thinking Senator Obama was Muslim?

6. Is it a crime for anyone in the American government to be a Muslim or hailing from any nation in the Middle East? What are we saying to Iranian/Iraqi/Saudi (etc.)-Americans? Why are people so distrustful of Senator Obama and not a government that mislead the American public at best, and lied at worst, about weapons of mass destruction and constantly redefined the reasons for an illegitimate war?

7. Why are Democrats letting Rush Limbaugh get away with his “Operation Chaos”?

8. Why is it assumed that Obama supporters are kool aid-sipping, weak-kneed, ridiculously idealistic, and irrational while Clinton and McCain supporters are the opposite? Read this about my encounter with a “rational” Clinton supporter. Would it be fair for me to make similar assumptions about Clinton supporters based upon a few statements or one bad interaction?

9. I cannot take credit for this question, but why do people assume that Clinton has no educated (white or black) supporters?

10. Why is it assumed that black Americans are voting for Senator Obama only because he is black? What would happened if I –as a black American – accused all white Americans of supporting Senators Clinton and McCain only because they were white?

11. Does the Islamic/Muslim/ “Middle Eastern” vote count in the United States?

12. Will we talk more about the Latino/a vote this summer?

13. What will the candidates do to ensure the voices of the disabled are heard?

14. How is the United States so “democratic” when we dismiss Senators Mike Gravel, Kucinich and Edwards?

15. Why do Americans think Ron Paul is a better alternative? Is it me, or does it sound like Paul wants to take the United States back to the 19^th century?

16. How long will it take for Americans to realize that things are changing politically, economically, spiritually, and socially on a GLOBAL scale? With this being the case it is even possible that the Clintons could really return the US to the 1990s?

17. How could the Clintons claim to be the candidate of the “working class” when President Bill Clinton signed NAFTA?

18. Does anyone remember what happened on November 30 and December 1, 1999? Why is not a framework of globalization based upon fair trade an issue in the campaign?

19. Are the candidates afraid to develop a “green” New Deal for the 21^st century?

20. Why did someone ask Senator John Edwards to speak out against the OJ verdictwww.?

21. Why are we surprised that Myanmar turned down aid from the United States? Does anyone remember when the US turned down aid from a variety of nations after Hurricane Katrina?

22. Who will Senators Obama, Clinton, and McCain have to denounce and reject next?

23. Why do we praise the “founding fathers,” President John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan for their unbridled optimism, their ability to inspire Americans, and their aspirations for developing a different style of politics while criticizing Senator Obama for wanting to do the same?

24. Why are we acting like the “old” style of cut-throat politics is the solution to contemporary problems?

25. Since when did kids become political props? Will they be allowed to vote?

26. Why will it feel like I am being bought off by the government when I cash my stimulus check?

27. How did the cost of gas quadruple in the last ten years?

28. Why are we not questioning the stagnation of wages in light of the increases in energy, food, health care, etc.?

29. Why are people unhappy with their government but support candidates who will not do much to change the “politics-as-usual” attitude?

30. Is it a valid question to ask whether or not a President Hillary Clinton would affect the income disparity between men and women? Would it actually alleviate the impact of sexism on our society?

31. Where are the leaders who are not just interested in telling us how great we are, but how we could also improve ourselves? Why do we need our “leaders” to tell us how “hard working” and “great” we are?

32. Why do we think a new president is going to help us? Can we not develop progressive organizations that will help us help ourselves?

33. Why am I no longer mad when I hear people say they will not vote because they do not feel they are being represented, or that a particular individual will be corrupted when they enter the system?

34. Why have we not really considered fundamentally changing our electoral system?

35. Why?