Brooklynne and I were invited to an Obama birthday party last night. I dropped by to say hello to some friends, but I didn't stay because Brooklynne and I were exhausted from the past week and it was the kids bedtime. Not to mention that I feel like it is slightly wierd to go to a birthday party of a stranger. I mean, we all feel like we know the guy because he's been plastered on the TV and radio for the past 4-6 years, but really... shouldn't birthday celebrations be reserved for people you know and care for--and people who know and care for us in return?

Anyway, Brooklynne and I had a discussion last night about Obama and whether he has been good for the country or not, whether he deserved our vote next time, and who was causing all the problems in our national government. I still like Obama, though he certainly hasn't changed the atmosphere in Washington the way I was hoping he would. And my question to people who have become disenchanted with the pres is "what's the alternative?" There's no such thing as a moderate Republican anymore; the Tea Party has seen to that. And Democrats are too entrenched in the current regime to offer any fresh options. So the outlook for 2012 is rather uninspiring.

So, the discussion got a little heated--Brooklynne is a little more conservative than I am--but we agreed that, whoever you want to blame, this debt war has shown that there's less and less of a place at the table for purples like us.