I found this at John Gruber’s Daring Fireball and I think David Sedaris makes an excellent comparison. I’m not normally a big Sedaris fan, but I did think this take on undecided voters in this election year was right on the money!
To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”
To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.
Just to be clear, I used to be very fond of McCain if not an out and out supporter. However, his decisions and behavior in this election show me that he has no strongly held beliefs that cannot be thrown out the window in an effort to amass power and position. Sarah Palin as VP is a joke and her place on the tickets shows that his “maverick” nature is simply reckless ill-informed choices without thought to the consequences. Honestly, I’m just as frustrated with the Republican party as with McCain and I think they need a good thrashing to maybe learn that this country is not God, Guns and hating/mistrusting those different than you. America is a melting pot; pure and simple. We have all sorts of people and ideologies within our borders and I hope this election shows that inclusion trumps fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
I love David Sedaris, but in this case he is making the same error as others who take easy shots at we “undecideds,” mistaking thinking about the election (which, by definition, undecideds are still doing) with not thinking about it (which decided voters need to do less of, having already made up their minds). Anyone interested in what a real, live undecided voter is thinking about can visit a blog I created (www.undecidedman.com) and see if there is still more to talk about than chicken vs. sh*t sandwiches.
Thanks for commenting. I’m glad you’re giving it thought, but for me there isn’t much to think about.
Looking at the candidates stance on the issues, their recent decisions, their lives before their candidacy, their performance in the debates, and the state of the country all lead to my decision for Obama. I WAS a lifelong republican who changed his voter registration and disavowed the party due to their blunders and failures. McCain was part of that, yes, but some Democrats failed as well. I will no longer ever be beholden (even slightly) to one party, but McCain has done NOTHING to impress me. Believe the hype or not, but he does share a lot in common with what I have become disgusted with Bush over. His placement of Palin on the ticket is complete failure in my mind and she has no place in national government at this point in time (maybe she could build into it, but I somewhat doubt it). And his recent behavior and HORRIBLY negative and questionable campaigning leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Please don’t take my word for anything. Look at all the details. See if you agree or disagree with me and VOTE. Look seriously at the situation and make up your own mind on what you want to see in your next government. The real issue is from here on out, not much is likely to happen. The arguments have pretty much all been made (barring some really nasty skeleton emerging from someone’s closet). The candidates have told you who they are. Dig in, ignore the punditry, decide, and make sure you vote regardless of who you choose.
David Sedaris YOU ROCK!
You put it perfectly