So you’ll have noticed that I’ve been leaving politics alone for a bit. Other than commenting at other people’s blogs, I’ve been giving myself a break–posted a guest column at KB a couple of weeks ago and had to scrounge for this week’s option.
I feel like we’re in the eye of the hurricane right now and I’m allowing myself to be semi-oblivious (my oblivious being still ten times more informed than most of America, but far less than the blogosphere). Don’t get me wrong, I’m still thinking about it–Napolitano for VP, please!–but just not to the all-consuming level that I was.
I’ve got an addictive personality, not with drugs or drink, but with people, politics, and art. I will go through phases where I see three movies a week and phases where I don’t bother with the movie theater at all. Phases where I drop $30 a week on comics and months at a time where I don’t buy anything. And of course, times where I’m polishing off three thick books on arcane political, feminist, or media theory that no one in their right mind reads for fun, and times when I’m re-reading Francesca Lia Block novels.
A chance opportunity sucked me right back into comics-obsession-land, and I’m actually taking a creative writing course in the fall (along with Communications Law and Journalism and Politics, so never fear), so I’m reading novels again as well. In the past two weeks, I’ve demolished all the issues of Northlanders, the first 24Seven trade, Wanted, Cross Bronx, the first Vinyl Underground trade, the most recent two Fables trades, Preacher: Dixie Fried, and re-read every Garth Ennis Hellblazer trade that I own. Oh, and most recently, Local #12, which is so damn good that it gets its own two sentences. If you ever thought about giving comics a try but weren’t sure where to start, Local would be an excellent place. Mmmm. Comics.
So bloglandia has been treated to lots of my thoughts on sex and sexuality, desire, monsters, and pop culture. And to quote Madonna, “I’m not sorry.”
I realized over dinner and drinks with my friend last night that you know what, I DID help Barack Obama win the nomination, as the Facebook group said, and that feels pretty good. So I’m still working, still thinking, still planning for later in the summer and in the fall when I’ll gear up to put Barack Obama in the White House–and then switch modes to watchdog. Because yeah, I’m a supporter, but I know that there’ll be pressure for him to move right, and all of us who did help put him in that spot have to make sure that we hold him to our ideals. That’s the other half of democracy. It’s not just vote and go home. It’s make sure the guy you voted for does what he said he’d do, and responds to new problems in the way that we want. And if Obama does make it to the White House, he’s going to owe a lot of little people more than a few big people, and that makes me optimistic about his possible administration.