Ugh. I'm definitely feeling the dislike of the presidential field right now.
Anyone else super pissed at Bachmann and some of the other candidates that were on CNN's Republican Debate yada-yada a while back? I usually gravitate slightly towards Republicans, for no really big reason, but I have to say that if Bachmann wins the nomination, I may just have to vote against her, whoever that someone else is.
The thing that set me off was this:
Everyone gets roughly thirty seconds to introduce themselves. Everyone does this with obvious "Pick me! I'm awesomer!" tidbits slipped in, a couple people (or maybe just Romney) threw in some Obama slander, which is to be expected, etc. Bachmann does this as well. Everything's standard procedure.
CNN clearly explains that time is trying to be conserved as much as possible in order to get as many questions from people as possible. If you don't answer the question asked or you go drastically over the time, it's pretty much clear you aren't respecting the constituents, your opponents, CNN, or anyone else. CNN didn't say that part, but I will, because it's an oath of honor that you try as much as possible to follow the spirit of the debate and not your personal agenda.
So some questions get asked, and when a new question is asked, and Bachmann is chosen to field it, she proclaims "Hey, I'll get to the question in a second, but first, John (or w/e the name of the CNN debate referee was named), I just want you to be the very first person to know that I'm officially in the running! Woooo!!!!!!!!!!!"
Are you freaking kidding me? You had thirty seconds all to yourself for EXACTLY THAT KIND OF STATEMENT. You instead choose to dishonor the oath you took by standing on that stage, display a completely obvious political move to steal the spotlight, and show a disgusting disregard to the constituent who asked you a question. You even prompted CNN to take a couple minutes and explain that you hadn't been running yet, which had been on the news for like the past two weeks prior, perhaps even longer. It's that kind of BS that shows someone's character, and I won't support them because of it.
While I gravitate towards the Republican party, I just can't bring myself to really support any of them because of some of the things they believe. In a culturally explosive melting pot that is America, most of the Republicans still only accept the one-way interpretation of separation of Church and State, that the State shouldn't mess with the Church. By not preventing the Church from affecting matters of the State, you get huge swaths of bigotry and repression, as well as stamping one religion over everything when there are so many different ones that exist in America and around the globe. I believe that when a country is made "Of the People, By the People, For the People", it shouldn't be of some, by some, and then pretend under a thin veil that it's for everyone.
I also can't stand their constantly dis-proven stance on things like homosexuality, 'gay marriage', adoption rights involved, etc. I find it increasingly disgusting that in a self-proclaimed "Land of the Free", Freedom of Sexuality is something that is not widely endorsed, especially not from (most of, if not all) the Republicans.
As for the actual issue of 'gay marriage', why hasn't anyone just remove every base of ground that proponents against it argue by taking the term 'marriage' and applying it specifically to religious weddings? Anything dealing with the state, such as recognition, benefits, etc., should be redefined 'civil union' or whatever else. Marriage can still be between a man and a woman, as dictated by whatever religion someone follows. I don't believe it will cause some of the 'Separate But Equal' problems I've read here, because it becomes a difference between beliefs (which it has already been so it's actually keeping a status quo that people seem to be fine with). The State only recognizes 'civil unions', so you can't redefine the law for some but not others without a big to-do. IMO, it seems like a short, sweet, and simple solution to a problem that people just seem to have to have with one another.
If anyone has actually thought of this and is in the running, let me know.