Political Arguments

I'm not one of those people who particularly enjoys discussing politics.  Regardless of whether your talking to conservatives or liberals, the conversation will generally turn hot-blooded and irrational in a matter of seconds.  This isn't just casting judgment, I know I'm quite capable of doing the same thing as well.  Typically, unless the person is a really close friend, I will just smile and nod.  You could tell me that you think that Attila the Hun should rise from the grave and cease control of these United States and I would probably still smile and nod.  I let you think that I agree with you, even if I think you're off your rocker, just because I don't feel like getting into it. Sometimes, I actually do agree with you, but I still just smile and nod because inevitably a debate of semantics will occur.

Last night I was doing the smile and nod thing.  

"I go into the bathroom for a minute and all of a sudden you're arguing politics," Carlos laughed.  

I looked at a friend who was sitting on a barstool a few feet away from me and then back at Carlos.

"I swear, it wasn't my fault."

My friend shrugged and laughed.  Then Carlos did the same.

The whole thing revolved around Barack Obama.  Guy at the bar was hyping him up.  To be honest, I don't really care how a person votes or if he/she chooses to vote.  That's your business and if you feel the need to tell me this information, then, whatever.  But the guy kept on going on about Obama (and, to tell you the truth, the whole "cult of personality" surrounding both candidates and their running mates really bothers me, let's talk about issues and not your biographies).  I was still smiling and nodding.  Then he said that Obama never voted for the war in Iraq.  I should have let this go, but I've heard people say it too many times and it's a misleading statement.  I couldn't leave it alone.

"Of course not," I answered.  "He wasn't in the Senate then."

Then he started arguing with me and I got all pissed off because I knew for a fact that I was right and I wished that I had my laptop with me so that I could prove it.

Finally, he answers me with, "Well, if that's what you want to believe."

"Of course, it's what I want to believe.  It's a fact."

Fact: Barack Obama took his Senate seat in 2005.  I found this information on his official bio.  This was well after Congress had approved the invasion.

Since Obama was not in the US Senate at the time of this vote, he could not have voted for it.  And since he did not vote on this issue, the point is moot.

We left it at that.

Actually, we didn't leave it at that.  I made some comment about how I'm not really thrilled with anyone and I might exercise my right to not vote this year (of course, I make that threat all the time and never seem to follow through with it).  I think that was my way of saying, let's just stop this right now.

I'm still waiting for the day that this election ends.