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August 6, 2008
Why Obama, by George Singleton
Why Obama is a series of guest essays by musicians and authors, where they share their support for Democratic United States presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and offer arguments why he needs to be elected president of the United States.
George Singleton is an author living in South Carolina. His latest book is the novel, Work Shirts for Madmen.
In his own words, here is George Singleton's Why Obama essay :
Much keener socio-political minds have detailed the obvious: Obama’s got an economic plan; Obama’s got a health plan; Obama has this thing against our citizens being killed relentlessly in an unprovoked and ill-thought-out war; Obama doesn’t speak like the Penguin from the Batman TV show; Obama may have never been a soldier, but if he had been a soldier chances are that he would’ve not been captured his first couple hours into his service; Obama’s hot wife isn’t a slightly-mysterious millionaire, who may or may not be an alien, with a shady background; Obama never took part in the Keating 5 Scandal as part of the savings and loans debacle in 1989; Obama can read a sentence over five words long without having to cut his eyes to a teleprompter; Obama seems to understand that we don’t need more offshore drilling seeing as the oil greedsters (Exxon made 11-plus billion last quarter?) have millions of acres already leased out.
Et cetera. I’m trying to conserve electricity here, so I don’t want to continue typing for eight or twelve hours.
I want Obama to win so that we can continue to have books published in America. I want Obama to win because I’m selfish, and I have an odd sense of self-preservation.
Here’s the gig: Every time I watch the news, or read a newspaper, or glance at one of the political magazines, my blood pressure rises to something like 210 over 140. It’s been that way for going on eight years. If McCain happened to be the next president, I’m sure that it would continue. Writers cannot thrive when their blood pressure levels get so high that the capillaries in their eyeballs burst without notice, and that constant drumbeat sound in the ears is enough to cause dementia. With dementia comes certain delusional experiences, and with delusion comes weird actions--like voting for Republican candidates.
And when I talk about how I want Obama because I’m in it for me, please understand that I’m fully aware that other people should vote for Obama because they’re in it for themselves, too. No writer, artist, musician, ad infinitum, can work properly with bloody eyeballs, pounding ears, and forced breathing. Porn stars and slasher film-makers might be able to work under such conditions, but not real people. Writers have a hard time working consistently after blood-pressure-induced strokes. Writers have a hard time finding a consistent voice after they’re dead.
George Singleton links:
Barack Obama link:
Barack Obama presidential campaign website
also at Largehearted Boy:
other Why Obama essays
Book Notes (authors create playlists for their book)
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
guest book reviews
musician/author interviews
tags: politics music obama barackobama georgesingleton indie
