My Political Two Cents Nonsense

Political Song Lyric of the Day:

I want to be the minority / I don’t need your authority / Down with the moral majority / Cause I want to be the minority

Green Day / “Minority“*

Well, since virtually everyone else has weighed in on this year’s election/political insanity (or is that inanity?), I guess I will too tonight in honor of the vice presidential debate (I’ve had fun watching everyone on Twitter). A debate which so far has caused my puppy to grumble in his sleep, me to shake my head over Joe Biden and Sarah Palin’s skills (especially hers) at talking to but not quite answering questions, and my husband to abandon ship and watch a TiVoed movie instead. Biden and Palin? Try Chuck and Larry.

Personally, I have to admit I find it very depressing that politics and religion — two things which, in theory, at least, should be these great, uniting ideologies — do nothing more these days than strain friendships and family ties and force people to choose sides. (I’m a firm believer in the separation of church and state.) This year’s presidential election campaigning has brought out the worst in just about everyone. We’ve resorted to calling each other names, personally attacking people, and then crying foul — and exposing our hypocrisy — when we complain that the other side is doing the same exact thing to us. If you’re a Democrat/liberal, you’re a mindless, bleeding heart baby killer who doesn’t support our military forces. If you’re a Republican/conservative, you’re judgmental, against women’s reproductive rights, and a warmonger. And that’s me politically correcting a mere fraction of the insults I’ve read on blogs, news sites, and, well, just about everywhere online these days.

I say all this as a registered Democrat — and a liberal one at that; I always have been. But I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret: I’ve voted Republican in the past. That’s right — I did something I feel is going the way of the dodo: I voted for a candidate based on (gasp!) where they stood on the political issues of the day and how their stance fell in line with my values and beliefs at the time. Really, that’s what I find most tragic these days: People are deciding on who they’re going to vote for — the person who is going to LEAD OUR COUNTRY — based on the fact that he has a nice smile (so did Hannibal Lechter), he’s a war hero (he’s not the only one), he’s not the other guy (huh?), and she’s a woman (so?) and her Peggy Hill glasses are nice (what the FUCK, people?).

Granted, there’s some comfort in knowing that not everyone decides on who to vote for PRESIDENT (PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, people! Not homecoming king!) or other political offices based solely on political party, the image they present, their knack for talking around actually answering questions (I’m looking at Barack Obama and John McCain, too) and that “aw, shucks, I’m just like you,” Joe Six-Pack attitude. So what? What do you think it’s going to take to fix our economy? When/what will bring an end to the war? Should we cut or increase funds for the military? Should minimum wage be increased again, and when? What do you think about our government interfering in women’s reproductive rights? What about your hopes for the education system? Are you for or against tax increases? How do you define marriage? What should we do about illegal immigration? How should we handle foreign relations with hostile countries? And so on and so on …

Think about where YOU stand on the issues most important to you, then take a long, hard look at exactly where your political party’s CANDIDATE stands. If we can all do that and make our decisions based on the truly important things, the things that will ultimately affect us all — not the glossy, tow-the-party-line images presented to us — then we’ll be taking that first baby step toward reclaiming our government as OURS.

Because, in the end, it won’t matter what glasses she wore or that he champions change or that he is a survivor or that he overcame a tragic past. We all need to do our part and make our voting decisions based on who we think can serve our country best. Because if there’s one thing I’ve come to truly believe about politics, it’s that, ultimately, we’re all forced to decide on and choose the lesser of two evils.

*What can I say? Green Day is good for my political posts.

5 Comments

Filed under election, politics, voting

5 Responses to My Political Two Cents Nonsense

  1. Missybw

    My dogs couldn’t sleep for all my ranting. I just want to know if all the people who like her because she’s “just like them” also think they’re qualified to go to Washington and solve our myriad problems too. Because if she can, and she’s like you, then you should be able to do anything she can do. I don’t want a Pres or a Veep that’s “just like me”. I want one that’s smarter, more experienced, and better able to handle the challenges and stress of operating with a world view, not a local view. We are not a backwoods republic, we are the largest and greatest country on Earth, and the job of leader of our country demands more than somebody who is “just like me”. Nothing in either of the Maverick Twins leads me to believe that they even know how to spell change, make change, or create change.

    Okay, now she’s proven she can “not answer” questions and recite talking points. She’s now the equivalent of the talking pig. Let’s see how she does in unscripted press conferences, where her handlers don’t have 3 days to cram her full of somebody else’s ideas that she can mix up with more folk-art speechifying than Andy Jackson ever used. Because, to quote @sadcox, “if the bar had been any lower for this debate they would have had to bury it”. So let’s see what new tricks Sarah has memorized… you think they used Mall gift cards to motivate her? I’m thinking yes.

  2. Anonymous

    Issues do matter, but so does trust. Its also important to be comfortable that youi know what is coming, regardless of the chosen policy. With Obama and Biden, you do not know what they will do. They change positions to whatever they feel is necessary to get elected. Does Biden believe Obama is qualifed or not? Is Jeremiah Wright Obama’s mentor and spiritual guide, and inspiration for a book or not?

    DC needs drastic change. We need honest government. Not government that governs to get contributions for their re-election effort. Who will fight for that?

  3. NC Reader

    I’ve always looked at candidates for their guiding principles. The candidates adjust their policies and positions to please the electorate and they may have no relation to what they actually think. For me it boils down to this — Obama and Biden believe in the power of government to solve my problems; they think government should “help” me. McCain and Palin come closer to believing in my ability to solve problems and that government’s role is limited. Unfortunately McCain is still a bit too much of a fan of government in my mind but he comes closer. I also think Obama is a little too thin on experience and would have been a much better candidate in 4 to 8 years in that regard although I suspect I still would have fundamentally differed with him on the role of government. I’d also like it better if Palin had been a governor a bit longer.

  4. LissaKay

    Congrats on your Instalanche! It pays to make friends, eh?

    Anyway, good thoughts on the situation. This is an election in which there is no clear candidate for either party. I am disgusted with both, for the most part. My views started out as very liberal, morphed to a conservative slant and now have settled mostly in the range of small “L” libertarian. I am big on small government and personal responsibility. That goes against the liberal doctrine of the nanny state and entitlements for all. It also goes against extreme right conservative views making morals into legislation. Applying these personal views to the roster of candidates we have before us leaves me pretty much empty-handed.

    What it comes down to then, for me, is a question of integrity and the personal morals of the candidates as best we can discern from their past and present behavior, actions and personal moral views. With that litmus test, then my choice becomes very clear.

  5. Fueled By Randomness

    What a candidate SAYS about issues means very little, because candidates can and do say anything it takes to get themselves elected. One principal that guides me is how someone actually VOTED in the past.

    A word about “change”: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

Leave a Reply