Obama's Change

What would this presidential race be without race/gender overtones? Obama’s main rally cry has been change: Yes We Can… Change! But what change are we actually expecting other than a different person in the White House? I don’t want to come off as totally apathetic (despite my – apathy – towards this race) but what has ever really changed? About the only thing I’m looking forward to in the case of Obama’s victory is proof that we aren’t as generally racist as we seem to think. I will find it refreshing, whether in this race or a future one, to put a non-honky and/or female president in power and finally learn… that they make the same mistakes as Colonel Sanders incarnate.
Of course this is not a knock against Obama, but it kind of is a knock on the fervent nature of Obama supporters; if they truly believe in capital C “Change” from any politician. Even if allowed to actually propose such changes by his advisors we can’t reasonably expect Congress and every other check-and-balance to allow it. That’s why some guy in a white horse hair wig named them “checks and balances”! Or so I’ve heard. Major political change does not come overnight from a single election, and to believe so is seemingly naïve. It might help set momentum, but even the President alone can’t Change that much. I don’t want to crap on anyone’s political ideals, as that would be wrong (and stink), but I do wish people would be a bit more realistic in their true motives and get out of their emotional frenzy. An effective politician makes you follow your heart into their cause, leaving the logical discrepancies/fallacies inherent to most political promises behind. Now that we as a nation are more than ever before connected to information, shouldn’t we use it, along with 200-plus years of American history?
In Quirkology, Richard Wiseman demonstrates how simple traits built into the human mind can guide voters to certain subconscious outcomes. Outcomes which very often have nothing to do with policy, debate, political experience, or anything else outside of explicit mental appeal. I just hope we could take what we know and think it out logically. Think about the advertisements, slogans, promises, etc and put it into context. In my mind an aware voter is actually a dangerous thing for politicians, simply because that elected official can’t repeatedly “slip up” and promise/apologize their way out each time. An aware voter remembers history, applies knowledge, and acts accordingly- something which I think is scary to politicians. Lucky for them, there aren’t that many of those voters out there, so the dog-and-pony/bread-and-games strategy continues.