Politics and Karaoke

Most of my friends know that I am something of a political junkie and that I am no fan of the current occupant of the Oval Office, not that this puts me in exclusive company or anything. Actually, as a staunch and proud Democrat, I am somewhat disenchanted with our side of the aisle as well. We are enablers of the worst kind. We are so scared of being labeled "soft on" something, be it terror or crime or ________ (pick your threat or perceived threat of choice).

Last week I watched the Republican Presidential Debate and I was left with a very uneasy feeling that I couldn't quite articulate. And the more I thought about it, the less clear I was about what was troubling me. And then - finally - it dawned on me. These guys all suck! They're Terrible with a capital "T." Do you mean to tell me that in a nation of 300 million people, these are the best that the Republican party can come up with?

And it's no better really on the Democratic side. I'm actually something of a Hillary fan, but she's no Bill. And none of the others foster any great sense of hope or optimism.

Obama - too inexperienced. On the plus side, was endorsed by Oprah.
Edwards - too myopic
Kucinich - yeah, right
Dodd - announced his candidacy on "Imus in the Morning." 'Nuff said.
Biden - Probably the best overall candidate, but no shot.

Anyway, all this got me thinking about my favorite all-time activity . . . karaoke. Why, you ask? Well, because I like thinking about karaoke. More pertinently though, because I realized that there are parallels to be drawn between karaoke and running for President. You see, karaoke is popular because everyday, run-of-the-mill folks enjoy watching people just like them engage in extroverted conduct. How many times do you hear people complain when someone gets up to sing at karaoke and he/she is really good? Oh sure, there is begrudging appreciation for the talent, but the overriding response is annoyance that a "real singer" is hogging the stage and making regular karaoke folks look bad.

The same principle applies to politics. I truly believe that one of the reasons why our candidate pool is so weak is that we have so diminished our expectations as voters that we have deemed it a "plus" to have a candidate who is like us. It has now seen as a negative when a candidate is "elite" or an "intellectual." Rather, you hear about criteria like the ubiquitous "candidate who I would most want to have a drink with." Like that in any way would provide any insight into an individual's ability to run a country as Commander-in-Chief!

I don't want someone like me in White House. I want somebody better than me and smarter than me and more knowledgeable than me and . . . well . . . you get the point. Because if you start ignoring intellect and smarts when electing a President, you end up with . . . oh wait . . . never mind.