There are a lot of things about politics that I think are confusing, but this is definitely near the top of the list: I heard a political analyst on TV say that Sarah Palin is attracting women who once supported Hillary Clinton.

This just seems completely wrong to me. There are one-time Hillary Clinton (a pro-choice, liberal) supporters voting for Sarah Palin (a pro-life, conservative NRA member) just because she’s a woman? I’m all for breaking that glass ceiling, but I think that women changing their votes just on the basis of gender are doing just the opposite. A woman in office should be elected because she is the best person for the job, thus proving that women and men are equally capable. If people expect women to vote based on their gender instead of their principles, that’s completely underestimating women’s ability to choose the right candidate based on their beliefs.

I’m not necessarily saying that Sarah Palin is the wrong candidate, but I can’t believe that many women are doing a complete 180 degree turn and voting for her after supporting Clinton. Palin and Clinton may both be women, but they have completely different principles. If someone is voted for just because of her gender, that’s underestimating her ability as a leader. We need to look beyond things like gender, just like we must look beyond things like race or religion, to make a decision that will best suit our country for the next four years.

I just heard a news reporter say that many people were getting upset over this picture of Barack Obama visiting Kenya:

 

I disregarded this as yet another petty topic of controversy that actually should have nothing to do with the election, but then the reporter said something that really shocked me and made me think. He said that the picture caused many to wonder if Obama is actually Muslim and then went on to assure the audience not to worry, because he is, in fact, a Christian.

Not only did this make me livid, it made me question the judgment of many voters. The blatant prejudice behind this statement makes me wonder how separate church and state really are. Is it just a coincidence that every single president (and all of those in the current election) has been a Christian?

It’s sad if many immediately associate Islam with the extremists who are constantly seen on the news, especially when this country has 5 million to 8 million Muslim citizens. If we are to be an accepting and just society, we must at least understand that, just as a Christian radical is nothing like the majority of Christians, “Muslim” does not mean radical jihadist by any means. By the way, the two religions are actually pretty similar.

This election proves that our country has matured enough to consider a woman and an African American as the next president, but how long will it take for us to be truly open-minded?

Despite the constant bickering, name calling, and verbal attacks that most people associate with politics, I genuinely enjoy the whole election process. I love being involved in the camaraderie that the candidates try so hard to inject into their campaigns.

Last Friday I went to a Barack Obama rally at the Midwest Express Center with some of my friends. Everyone knows that he’s an amazing speaker and it was incredible to see him in person, but there was a lot more at the rally that made it really fun.

For example, right by the entrance of the building there was a man playing the bongos and another singing a song about Obama. Then there was just the general enthusiasm and excitement in all of the people who applauded and cheered after pretty much every sentence of Obama's speech.

My friends and I found it hard not to get caught up in all of it and found ourselves signing up to volunteer, even though I knew that my schedule was already completely packed every day before Tuesday. We also got buttons which we probably could have made ourselves for less money. My favorite souvenir, however, is this hilarious, yet kind of creepy, Obama mask that I got for free (I plan on being him next Halloween):

So maybe I’m naive or optimistic, but I think that politics are really fun. Some people may believe that the election is blown out of proportion, but at least it’s entertaining.

The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging it. So here it goes:

I am a Facebook addict.

Most of those who don’t know much about Facebook seem to see it as a waste of time, a way for kids to make too much personal information public for stalkers or future employers to see. I am delighted to say, however, that I think that Facebook has recently done enough to win the praise of any involved citizen. I’ll explain.

I love reading the newspaper and magazines like Time and Newsweek, but with homework, sports, and trying to have a social life, it is hard to keep track of what’s going on in the world. I am especially interested in politics, and I feel obligated to be well informed about the upcoming election, since I’ll finally be voting. It takes a lot of time to know a candidate’s platform, especially if you have to comb through stories about Edwards’ $400 dollar haircut and the many wives of Rudy Giuliani.

This is where Facebook comes in. When the politicians began campaigning (so before anyone can really remember) tons of groups, causes, and applications began popping up everywhere. If a Facebook user wants to find out something about a candidate, even favorite books, movies, and quotes, it only takes a few clicks.  (Don’t worry, I won’t pick a candidate based on his or her favorite movie, but if I did, The Wedding Singer would get my vote.)

A couple days ago, there was a box at the top of Facebook’s home page that said that the New Hampshire debates were Saturday night. I feel that I’m pretty in touch with what’s going on in the election, but had not heard this before, even though I’ve wanted to watch one of the debates for a while. After watching them, I feel that that I have a much better picture of the candidates.

So I think we can all thank Facebook for getting young people, the demographic least likely to vote, more involved. Whoever put this stuff on Facebook is a genius. What’s more likely to be checked by new voters every five minutes?