Al Green, Barack Obama, and Me

I had no idea our President was so musically gifted.  I married my husband because he sang to me.  I might as well vote for a president who does.  And that's what he's going for, right?  Everyone thinks President Obama is pandering to the college student vote, which he probably is.  But I think he's striking gold with the busy suburban moms minding their own business.  People like me who don't agree with all his policies (the Wars: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, The Drug War, NDAA) but who nevertheless melt when someone sings to us. 

Being sung to is a very intimate act.  It's elevating the dialogue.  It's communicating emotions.  Letting someone know you understand how they feel.  It's wonderful.  And it's just what this country needs right now, during this long struggle with joblessness, social welfare and education budget cuts, and rising costs of household goods.  The President is lulling us to sleep, cradling us in his strong, parental arms. 

"Hush, child.  I'll watch over you as you sleep."

That seems like a criticism of those of us not paying full attention to our country's goings-on, but it's not meant to be entirely that.  Sure, I'd rather more people become involved in civics.  Do more than just voting.  Signing petitions.  Demonstrating.  Paying more attention.  But I also know what it's like to be jolted out of bed by a blaring alarm clock.  What it feels like to take care of everybody else's needs first.  To barely have any undistracted time to ourselves, let alone time to pay attention to the big world outside our busy lives.  So even though my inner cynical self knows it's politicky and smells a little like bullshit, the President had my vote at "I-I-I-I- am so in loooooooove with you..."




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Four days later...

Some of my more conservative friends have been worrying about me since I shared this blog post.  Even more so than usual. 

Yes, this is an outrageously pro-Obama post, I admit.  And since I claim to be irritated with our president more days than not, it seems incongruous with my political identification.  Trust me, if I could find some good clips of Ron Paul or Mitt Romney singing I'd post them too! Damn.

I think some people don't get my sense of humor. I love politics precisely because I don't take politics too seriously. I think raising awareness of important issues, talking things over with my friends and loved ones, writing letters to my leaders and signing petitions, and above all raising my daughter to be a kind, nuanced thinker will do far more to change the world for the better than voting or not voting for a stupid president. They're all stupid. So I might as well base my stupid vote on a stupid reason like enjoying a candidate's singing voice.

To balance out this post a bit, let me share with you one more clip of a musically gifted President:



Not bad for a Dick.  Let me know if you find any good Ron Paul or Mitt Romney musical clips.  Here's a fun one that definitely leans to the right of the political spectrum:



Doesn't that clip almost make you want to vote for a Huckabee/Nugent ticket?  Yeah, me neither.  I guess that blows my theory about music being able to overcome extreme political difference.