I know that a number of our blog readers live outside of the United States, but I figure that most or all of you are aware that America is in the midst of a historical presidential election. In years past, I’ve prided myself on being apolitical, but my outlook is different this year.

I need to make a quick caveat before writing the rest of this post…that is, that I won’t be able to prevent some personal bias from seeping into what I write here. …but that shouldn’t be a problem, this is a blog, and opinions are fair game

…so…there are a few reasons why my political outlook is different at present. First — brace yourself George Bush fans, if there are any of you — I think our country has some pretty serious issues these days. I don’t mean to speak ill of anybody, but I honestly don’t see why we elected George W. Bush to be our president…especially not two times…(though I guess the Supreme Court put him in office one of those time). I won’t go into much detail on my views regarding the Bush administration, but I will say that I think we’re in need of solid leadership to solve a number issues we’re now facing. …so I think the stakes are higher this year than in most past elections.

Of course, there’s another reason why this year’s election has unique signficance…this is the first time that we’ve had a woman or an African-American candidate in serious contention for our presidency. I could write a lengthy essay on the consequence of our country having representatives from these two historically disenfranchised groups vying for the oval office, but that’s not really my focus here. For my purposes here, it will suffice to say that we’re living through very interesting political times…and this has not only caused me to be more engaged, but to also wonder what, if any, connection there may be between electronic music and political inclinations.

My instincts tell me that, as a general, we electronic music lovers are very liberal in our politics…for example, I wouldn’t think that the average electronic music lover has any problem with the idea of gay marriage or homosexuality in general…becuase we’ve all probably been to too many clubs where people with different sexual orientations and preferences have been dancing, united by the common groove. I also have the feeling that many electronic music lovers are free-spirited, rather than strict adherents to any particular religion…for example, as one of my friends once said in reference to going to a good electronic music club, "this is my church." …my gut tells me that the average electronic music lover is spiritually inclined by not very dogmatic. …my instincts also suggest that a lot of electronic music lovers may even go beyond being liberals to the point of almost being anarchists. There seems to be a subversive element to the electronic music mindset…a resistance to the the norms that society tends to impose on people.

What do you guys think? …do my instincts about the political tendencies of electronic music lovers resonate with you, or do they sound off base? I know politics is a touchy subject, and I hope this post doesn’t offend anyone. …one of the things I’ve tried to do in posting on this blog is to share raw thoughts…not ones that have been sanitized and shared with my business/ceo hat always on.

Anyway, if anybody has any thoughts, feel free to chime in…

Eddie B

PS I refrained from talking about the candidate I’m favoring in this year’s presidential election…but you can probably draw some inferences from what I’ve written