Is it just me, or is politics being treated more and more like some kind of reality TV game show? It seems like some kind of performance that gets consumed rather than a method for distinguishing the values of a leader.

For example, the kerfuffle over whether or not Obama really “sold” his being a Christian at Rick Warren’s questioning. I’m a Christian and I couldn’t give a crap whether or not Obama “sold” his “performance” as a Christian. What about whether or not he’ll fish the economy out of the crapper, or whether or not he’ll go to war? Religion is a private thing, and while I don’t think it’s impossible for a politician to be sincerely religious, I resent the way Christianity as played a a chip in the game. Perhaps I resent, more than anything, how people watch these performances and make judgments based on them.

Then there was that whole bit with Hillary not really selling her support for Obama at the convention. What more is she supposed to say than “I support Barack Obama for president”? Should she give him a blow job on national television? Then the pundits would argue about whether or not she swolled, or how much she spilled, and ultimately decide whatever the hell they wanted to decide about it.

It seems like it used to be more about “the issues” than it is now. Even when the politicians would lie about what they would do, at least they were talking about important things. Now it’s all about how good of an actor the candidate is. Do we really want a really good actor for president? Someone who lies with expertise? Honestly, I could hardly tell whether people on the radio were talking about the election or the Olympics.

Treating politics like the Olympics is extremely dangerous. This is not a game; this is real life, and we are playing with our lives.

Now, before you get all mad at Arnold, remember that this is what the voters wanted. His job is to enact what the voters want, and he can’t just do whatever her wants without the voters approval. Most people seem to think of California as being this wildly liberal state, but that’s not true. In fact, geographically, California is mostly Republican. Along the beach life is good, people love each other. When people get too far away from the water they dry out, start hating everything, and become Republicans. Sad but true.

Do I, as a bible-reading, Jesus-loving Christian think that gay marriage should be legal? Nope. I don’t think gay marriage, or any other kind of marriage should be legal. Marriage is between two people who love each other and God Almighty. In many ways I feel the government over steps its bounds when it begins to interfere with the ways in which people love each other. Love is God’s domain, end of story.

Since getting rid of the government’s tainted influence on the sanctity of marriage doesn’t seem to be a very popular idea, I am in favor of legalizing gay marriage. There’s a raging debate amongst biblical scholars on this issue, but those who read the bible carefully will note that Jesus himself never condemned homosexuality. Therefore, it’s not in conflict with my religion to be in support of gay marriage.

I’ve followed the dabate closely and it all boils down to fear vs. love. Someday I hold out hope that we’ll look back on this time in American history as the beginning of a breakthrough for human rights. Right now, however, there’s still a lot of work to be done.