On politics.

[saxikath]

mabfan, in response to my post asking people to challenge me to write about something I don't usually blog about, asked about my political leanings.



It's true that I don't much blog about politics. And there's one main reason for that: I really don't like politics. I care about the issues, but in general politicians drive me nuts. I hate listening to politicians being interviewed, because it seems to be a characteristic of most politicians that they can't answer a straight question with a straight answer. Even politicians I mostly agree with do this, and it makes me want to throw things at the radio. And in this era of sound bites, they tend to paint things in very stark terms when they're mostly pretty complicated and messy.

I also tend to shy away from confrontation, which makes political discussions less appealing.

But in general, here is where I tend to stand:

• I'm very liberal on social issues. I support gay marriage. I don't think government has any business regulating people's sex lives, so long as everything involved is consensual and doesn't involve children. My guiding principle on social and behavioral things is, as long as what you do doesn't hurt someone else, I don't see what business it is of mine to try to stop you.
  
• I oppose the death penalty, mostly because however good our justice system is or isn't (and it certainly has flaws!), it will always be administered by human beings and human beings are fallible. There's always the possibility of sending an innocent person to death, and there's no way to take that back afterward. I also think that killing people to say that killing people is wrong isn't a very good or moral way to do things.
  
• I'm pro-choice. I think abortion often is not a good choice, but I don't think it's my place to make that decision for any other woman. I don't think abortion is murder, certainly not before fetal viability. I can understand why people think differently, and I do think abortion is ending a potential life if not an actual one, and therefore is not something to be done casually.
  
• In general, I support affirmative action and similar efforts to ensure that people who come from disadvantaged situations have a chance to better themselves. But it's a tricky balance to help people who need the help without unfairly disadvantaging those who, on the merits, have earned an advantage.
  
• Keep your religion off my laws. I'm not saying religion has no place in life. My own beliefs are pretty fuzzy, but I know people for whom they are very important and for whom they are motivations to do really good and worthwhile things. And for many people, their religion is the basis of their system of morals, and that can't help but have a place in the way they make decisions. But don't use your religion's tenets to make policy.
  
• I oppose the war in Iraq. I think we shouldn't have been there in the first place, and it makes me seethe when I hear people say we need to stay until we gain a "victory." What on earth does "victory" even mean in this context anymore? I think we need to get out, but I also think that we can't just pack up and leave without having some kind of structures in place there. I don't know what the answer is. I respect and honor those who serve in the military; I could never do it myself, but those who take on such an obligation and stick with it have my respect.
  
• In general, I'd like to see less money spent on military things and more spent on helping people.
  
• My grasp of economics is not at all what it should be, so I don't feel qualified to make a lot of statements about it. In general, I think I come out fairly moderate on economic issues.
  

I voted for Barack Obama in the primary. I would support either Obama or Clinton; I disagree with both of them on some issues and agree with both of them on others, but I like either of them a lot better than the alternatives. But I chose Obama for two main reasons: I agree with him slightly more on a couple of key things, and I think Hillary Clinton carries too much baggage. There are just too many people out there who have (to my mind) an irrational dislike of her, and I fear that her candidacy will bring them out to vote.

I also appreciate Obama's willingness to address issues more forthrightly than most politicians. And his speech yesterday on race is a prime example of this. He acknowledges the complexity of racial issues in the United States, rather than painting things in simple terms, and he makes what are to my mind some very powerful statements about the need to work together.

If you have questions, I'll try to answer them. I'd ask anyone who comments on this post to please be polite; I don't mind if you disagree with me, but please do so in a way that's respectful.

Comments

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Now I feel I know more about you than I did before.

Interestingly enough, I think I probably agree with you on almost all your leanings.

[ambermoon.livejournal.com]

"I've lost my belief in the politicians/ They all sound like game-show hosts to me." -Sting, "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You"

I (as can probably be gathered) do follow politics quite closely, but I have always appreciated that line.

[elainetyger.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on just about everything, but voted for Hillary and hope to do so again in November.