American Idol Primaries

by AJS

In New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton started to cry at a diner. It wasn't much, but it was enough to swing the polls in her favor and make her the "front runner." Voters said she seemed "more human," or that they fell in love with her "softer side." Can this really be how America chooses their president? Apparently all it takes is a few tear drops to win an election.

We all know it's an act. Candidates position themselves in diners or hold babies or stand in a factory with their shirt sleeves rolled up. They sport a hat from the local AA baseball team and somehow we are supposed to believe they are "one of us." They don't run on ideas. They don't run on solutions. They run on an image.

So, it's like American Idol. Mitt Romney is good, too good. As an actor, he has it all down, but he's like the tin man on Wizard of Oz - all mechanical with no heart. Hillary was playing the tough lady but she kinda seemed too tough and so now she's playing the soccer mom who wants to be president. Obama is the young, charismatic guy with a great voice and a nice smile. So, America is voting for candidates, not because of what they believe, or even if they are qualified. (We all know Richardson was the best Democrat) We choose them based on their voice or their looks.

So, it's just like American Idol. That scares me a little, because I'm not looking for a smooth talker (although that would be nice because I've spent my whole life watching a president who stutters and makes up words). I want a guy with ideas and a sharp mind. I want someone with experience. I want someone who, before we invade Afghanistan, can identify Afghanistan on the map.

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