You know, I just don't understand the whole Barack Obama phenom. I mean, I understand that people love him, and I understand that people find him motivational. But he does come a bit out of nowhere in national politics, and that just doesn't seem to matter to people. 

In fact, people are considering the fact that he doesn't have this type of national experience to be a "positive". I simply don't get it. 

I mean, yes, I have endorsed Hillary Clinton as a candidate. So obviously, I have a Democratic preference there. But, the reason I feel she is the strongest candidate is that she knows the ropes, emotionally and tactically, and she actually HAS a plan for change that she's excited to talk about, and I happen to think that experience matters, especially in application to the Presidency. 

I feel that we, in our country, have gotten a little too "American Idol" in creating a sensation in one season. But I think we've forgotten that we can't start over with a brand new cast of candidates next season — we're going to be stuck with this president for the next four years.

AND, I am both shocked and furious at how sexist our media truly is. If Hillary were not a woman, she would not have incurred such scrutiny, while Barack has basically received a free pass by the media because the hype around him is so intense that it is, in fact, an interesting news story. But, that being said, I truly am amazed that people have gone so hook-and-sinker after Obama simply because he uses the word "Change" and "Hope", and he has little to no national political experience past a few years in the Senate.

My opinion is not as much ANTI-Obama, as it is ANTI-Ignorance.  This Obama-Mania encourages people to turn off their rational thinking minds and to boldly stare into the sun called "Hope", throw the rose petals in the air, and HOPE it will all work out, once he is sworn in, because goodness knows that none of us have a clue as to what Obama's ACTUAL plans for the nation are — since he just doesn't feel it's important enough to talk about.

And if you can't just throw aside the fact that Barack Obama may just be too green to take on the role of the Presidency now, or that he doesn't have any particularly outstanding national record, or that his own supporters can't even quote to you what his proposed "plans for change" would be — then you are labeled by his campaign as a "skeptic", and a "non-believer". Smart.

Apparently, asking for that type of public record information is practically considered Heresy by the Obama group. I call labeling a differing opinion as "heresy " to be a FANTASTIC campaign strategy. It worked for the Crusades. But I do think it borders on being a little dangerous, if indulged.

I feel that we as a nation are so disgruntled and disenfranchised with how the Bush Administration has ignored our domestic needs that people would vote for Bozo the clown if they saw 10,000 people behind Bozo on TV shouting "Yes We Can!"

And let's take the Obama campaign's "a vote against Obama is a vote against hope" attitude into a national perspective — let's focus on the heresy aspect here. How is President Obama going to handle the country, when we want to be told details in his State of the Union Address? When it won't be enough for us anymore to just simply watch him motivate people with his oratory prowess, because our sound-bite mentality is bored with the "yes We Can" speeches, and we want something different, something of substance? Is he going to see everyone who questions him as a "non-believer"? Isn't that a little Catholic Inquisition to anybody? It is to me.

I caution everybody, no matter WHO you vote for — please have a REASON. I mean, a reason youput some thought into, not just "the guy can put together a great speech and he makes me feel good" — Yeah, well, so do the pastors of many churches across America, but I don't think all of those people would necessarily make great Presidential Candidates.

I went off on a bit of a rant on my MySpace blog about this Obama-Mania, and how some of the die-hard Obama-ites have been acting. It's a little more heated, and a little more humorous, but if you want more of a pundit-style commentary, you can view my MySpace Blog Here:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=7689404

I also wrote a letter to the editor of my hometown paper, The Billings Gazette, about Hillary Clinton vs this Obama Mania, and it was published in the Sunday February 17th edition. You can view that letter online here:

http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/17/opinion/letters/23-clinton.txt

I just hope people pull it together before these elections to realize that we are not electing a saviour. We're electing a President. If people can't get a grip on why they are voting for someone past "I believe! Shut UP, non-believer!",  then our country has far bigger emotional problems than Obama Mania.