I am officially cynical

Full disclosure: I’m voting for McCain/Palin based on ideology. Warts and all, he’s my guy in 2008. I am a conservative – don’t know that I’d stipulate to being a Republican anymore.

Let me state at the outset: I love Twitter. I launch TweetDeck every morning and, when the spirit moves me, add to the conversations or start my own. But following the conversations surrounding the presidential campaign is enough to make me want to ask for a complete and total Twitter shut down until after election day.

Having followed the Twitter streams for several weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that we, each and every one of us, the entirety of the voting public are rubes, bumpkins, blind-as-bat, I’ll-follow-my-guy-to-the-ends-of-the-earth fools. C’mon people, divorce yourself from your ideology and you’ll see it clear as day. Y

You, me, we, have all been duped. 

First I’ll stipulate to the obvious: There is a tremendous difference in ideology between McCain and Obama.  But the elephant, or donkey, in the room that nobody wants to address, or admit is that both McCain and Obama are politicians.  And, as politicians, their only goal is to win (don’t care what McCain said in the past he wants this bad).

Accepting this as fact, I ask you why we spend so much time denigrating the opposition while ignoring our own candidates shortcomings?  Why do we pretend our guy is pure and the other is dirty, even evil?

I’m done being an apologist for my candidate. If he or she lies, so be it.  If they eat small children for breakfast, oh well. I’m driven by ideology and nothing else. 

SIDEBAR: I was fortunate to watch Kirby Puckett play his entire career for my hometown Minnesota Twins. He played the game the way it should be played.  He gave back to the community through his foundation and when he could have signed with another team for a lot more money, he decided to stay in the Twin Cities. Great guy.

Glaucoma forced him to retire early and, shortly after, the facade began to crack.  The stories womanizing were followed by a divorce, allegations of abuse (never proved), an allegation of sexual assaults (he was acquitted). He fell from grace, hard.

I decided then and there that all athletes were amoral. All that matters is how they play the game.

The same now goes for politicians. Every politician will do whatever it takes to win an election or get their legislation passed. The are all dirty, slimy, backstabbing, and in the pocket of special interests – oil, pharmaceuticals, teachers and labor unions, trial lawyers.

I don’t care who they “fight for” or how, the bottom line is all of them answer to a power higher than the citizens.  They answer to the ones who line their campaign coffers with cash.

Period, end of sentence.

Damn, but that was liberating.

Obama voters, won’t you join me? It’s OK, you can do it. 

Admit that Barack Obama is more than casual neighbors with Bill Ayers – Terrorist Extraordinaire.

Tell the world, “I don’t care of Obama tried to kill the “Born Alive Infant Protection Act.”

Shout out, “I know Obama is part of the Chicago Machine, but it doesn’t matter because I agree with his ideology.”

Put it on the table, get it in the open. I promise you’ll feel better.

Let’s agree that both guys are daemons so we can stop demonizing them and start debating the issues.

Obama and McCain, McCain and Obama – Ideology aside – both are as dirty as pigs in mud.

Man, I haven’t felt this good in years.