The Smelly Cheese

Third Eye Blinded by the light.

I was listening to the Rachel Maddow show http://www.airamerica.com/maddow/ last week and I happened upon her interview with the singer from the lead singer of the band Third Eye Blind. 3EB (as they were once known) was a seminal group in my formative years, as musician and as a person. I loved their music and I probably wasn't alone in that, since there self-titled debut album sold a gazillion copies. Since that time my affinity for the group and for it's corporate leader, Stefan Jenkins, has long since disappeared.

Jenkins appeared on Rachel Maddow's show to talk about his support for Barack Obama. I'm not going to hold Barack Obama accountable for the people that support his campaign. I do have to disclose that Stefan Jenkins is a total douchebag and is probably only now inserting himself into the Obama movement for his own narcissistic agenda (the guy hasn't had a fucking hit in 7 years). What follows are some quotes from Jenkins' interview with Maddow about Obama's campaign and the evil that is Clinton politics. I'm quoting verbatim because it illustrates more clearly than I ever could the often irrational basis for which people find themselves in the thralls of Obamania.

Maddow: Democrats want somebody who is going to win and John McCain has to be taken down about ten notches.

Jenkins: We are in an age that's beyond 'we just want someone to win.' We did that with
Kerry we did that with Dukakis. There's a moment that's available here. And it's available
with Barack Obama. And it's not available with the Clintons. And the reason why is she will
manipulate what you think if she can. And she does it consistently.

Maddow: I think all politicians do.

Jenkins: No, I don't think so. I think Barack Obama is a guy who is willing to say what he
thinks and has a certain amount of trust in the electorate.. to get with it.

Maddow: If Hillary Clinton ended up winning the nomination, would you support her?"

Jenkins: I would have.

Maddow: Would have?

What follows this exchange is a story in which Jenkins name drops his former girlfriend Vanessa
Carlton (she's also happens to be his only connection to any music that could be referred to as either relevant or current) actually had a really positive experience with Bill, Hillary and Chelsea at a Clinton fundraiser. Jenkins confirms that Hillary has the ability to be really nice and
authentic, but right now she's being evil and displaying as Jenkins puts it, "her darker
angel."

First up, someone needs to tell Mr. Third Eye Blind that the people who wrote
Webster's Alternative/ Post-Grunge Thesaurus from 1997 need you to clear the use of "Darker
Angel" before claiming it as your own.

Secondly, I find extreme irony in Jenkins chastising the Clinton political family for behaving opportunistically and manipulating people. Jenkins is after all, the UC Berkeley english major that used numerous musicians and friends as literal stepping stones on his way to "rock stardom." He is the man that unceremoniously ousted his guitarist, song-writing partner and supposed friend Kevin Cadogan by literally leaving him at a hotel in Colorado after a show in the middle of tour. Why would he do that? Simple, so he wouldn't have to share in the credit or profit of any "3EB Production" venture. Don't believe me.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E1DD143FF933A15755C0A9649C8B63&scp=1&sq=Kevin+Cadogan&st=nyt
The music industry is filled with even more shark-like scumbags than Washington.

The history of Third Eye Blind and its singer's level of assholishness is ancient history. But Stefan Jenkins attitude in his support of Barack Obama does illuminate a lot of issues surrounding the Democratic race for the presidency. It has finally made clear in my mind why I have a hesitancy about fully "giving myself" to Obamania.

Jenkins is of the mind that he, along with many other democrats and Obama supporters will not support a Hillary Clinton presidential nomination. There is this notion being bantied about that all of the "new" voters that have been inspired by Barack Obama will stay home in the November general election if Clinton (miraculously) wins her party's nomination. If any Obama supporter were actually to withhold there vote in the general election in protest of Hillary Clinton, or god forbid vote for McCain, what does that say about that voter in the first place.

Barack Obama's campaign is about "change." He is directly opposed to most, if not the entirety of the Bush presidency. He wants to change our direction in Iraq by pulling out our troops. He wants to change the way we do "business" in the world. I admire him for these beliefs and for his rhetoric. By his own admission, Obama has very little substantive differences on the "issues" with Mrs. Clinton. There differences lie firmly in the realm of "personality" and "attitude." So, if confronted with a choice between Clinton, McCain or not voting many Obama supporters will specifically not choose Hillary. Doesn't that action essentially negate all of the "change" that Obama stands for? How could "change" possibly come about with a McCain presidency?

It would seem that an Obama supporter with this attitude doesn't actually want "change," but rather to be on the "winning team." The lofty ideals which their candidate speaks of only matter if he can implement them himself. No good can come from anyone but their candidate. There is no light but his light. To these false Obama supporters, I say fuck you. Fuck you and your weak-minded short-sighted naivety. Fuck you and fragile egos and your ignorant sense of entitlement. Where the fuck have you been for the last ten years? I've busting my ass, cold calling and canvasing districts trying to get the people that I believe in elected for 10 years! Now you, the "new voter," claim some kind of omniscient superiority that moves beyond politics. How fucking arrogant. Your newly minted need to be "inspired," trumps things like the economy, housing, health care, war and death.

To any of those out there who think that Barack Obama is anything but a democratic politician running for president: Get a goddamn grip on reality. If you dare sit out the November election out of a sense or moral superiority I truly feel sorry for you. I feel sorry for you because you'll probably dismiss my opinion as "fear mongering" or some kind of "old politics." The simple fact is that you don't understand the art of manipulation, nor the price of admission for the show.

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