12 more days until the "unprecedented" Presidential election on November 4, 2008! Undecided voters, we must unite in solidarity! Come November 4th, we must cast off the label of fence-sitter and take a stand!
Yeah, OK, whatever. My husband thinks it's unpatriotic of me to have not voted in the last 2 elections. But being a principled Fence-Sitter, I am taking a stand: I just dont believe in voting for the lesser of two evils. I am just astounded by the fact that with all of the intelligent and competent leaders our great country has, we have produced in these last 3 elections...(drum roll, please): W. Bush vs Gore, W. Bush vs. Kerry, McCain vs. Obama. The first time I heard W. Bush speak, two things crossed my mind, "This guy can't give an intelligent speech to save his life. The only way he has gotten this far is the powerful connections in his family and even THAT cant get win him the Presidency." Boy, I was SOOO wrong. Gore is credited for getting this generation to go green this decade, but who recalls what he achieved as VP under Clinton? Kerry's story was so full of holes. Obama is so green that despite his intelligence and ideals, he wont be able to override an established political atmosphere of partisan conflict. Nothing against him, but the country isnt ready for someone like Obama. McCain...where do I start? Full of smart-ass quips, what beyond a rep of a Maverick does this guy offer to us?
During a recent discussion with my husband, who is a proud card-carrying member of the Republican party, we discussed this issue at length. Why would anyone want to be President? Well, it couldn't possibly be the pay. Our president earns an average annual salary of $400,000, while the average CEO earns $2.2 million a year (let the record state that Oracle's CEO made $192M last year and Starbucks' CEO made 98M). Next, let's look at fame. Exposure goes both ways for politicians---good or bad, as tabloid vultures have demonstrated for Hollywood's famed celebrities. Just as easily a good story spun, a bad one can drown a person in scandal and shame. It becomes a matter of spinning the media just so, even as everyone recognizes that we all make mistakes. Lastly, "making a difference in the history of the U.S." can be a worthy pursuit--but difficult, oh so difficult to achieve. Already, the next President coming on board has a daunting To Do List, from stabilizing the economy, waging 2 wars, solving the healthcare crisis, and on and on. OK...so I still cant figure out why ANYONE in their right minds would want to be President, but with respect to all the candidates who have run--I will say this: It is somewhat admirable, given the sh*t you have to go through to become a leader of this country. People have very limiting views of who you are and the expectations of what have to achieve are near Cloud 5 level (in other words, next to impossible). Add to that, a President really cannot exercise powers without the stamp of approval from Congress. And let's face it--a President typically spends the 1st 2 years of his term transitioning over from the last administration and the remaining 2 years preparing for re-election. You're really in a hole so deep when you start that it is amazing that one achieves anything at all!
The problem, my folks, is that this country thinks that partisan politics works in a global economy and within a modern superpower. Left and right, Conservatives and Liberals, blue and red, donkeys and elephants, what do these classifications do besides divide a country? It would seem to me that we are a country that forces divisions and classifications, even as we pat ourselves on the back to congratulate our contributions to democracy. Just take a look at our American political system: It is based on two fundamental, yet conflicting beliefs: Freedom and Equality. If you are free to do whatever you want, you ARE going to step on someone’s toes. And if the law says you CAN’T step on someone’s toes, then doesn’t that infringe on your right to “freedom of”? Similarly, when you look at Democrats vs. Republicans, we somehow forgot that each of us being entitled to our own moral beliefs somehow means we cant play together. Whether or not we believe pro-life or pro-choice doesn’t mean we don’t all value life and choice. We are certainly not saying that pro-choice Democrats cannot be Catholic! I cannot help but shake my head when discussions of Big Government vs. Big Business come into play. Folks, it isn’t an either-or, as this needing both. Free trade is essential to the foundations of the American Dream…but we need to regulate to prevent greed and moral break-down. At the end of the day, are we so stupid that uniting as a country only makes sense in the aftermath of a disaster on the scale of 9/11? We are a young country--and with youth, comes a naive idealism that is all-consuming--that is until, something REALY BAD happens to us. What unites us, not divides us, makes us stronger.
Ok, at the end of the day, it is the duty of every citizen in our country, including the fence-sitter, to take a stand and cast their vote. So this fence-sitter will be voting come this election. Even though I will be out of town on business, I will go to early voting this weekend to cast my ballot. I just printed out my voter registration guide and am reading through the propositions (Only in CA do the rights of chickens make it to #2 on the propositions list). Yes, this fence-sitter is going to take a stand and vote for SOMEONE… even if it means doing a coin-toss.
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5 comments:
Great blog Bonnie!
I don't get to vote. :) It's a blessing.
Great post. But I disagree with "vote for SOMEONE… even if it means doing a coin-toss."
An economics teacher I had in college, must've been in '97-98 said something that has kept me from going out and voting. He said something along the lines of, "If you're not going to take the times to learn about the candidates and learn about the issues and form an opinion, please DON'T go out and vote."
He went on to say this poignant statement, "I don't want your uninformed vote canceling out my well-educated vote."
In retrospect, I think he was a Republican trying to keep young likely-democrats from voting. But the point he makes is clear.
I'm finally happy to say that I've finally registered to vote after 12 years of eligibility.
The financial hole the country is in, and the poor standing it has in the international community is a direct consequence of the last 3 republican presidents--Reagan, Bush senior and junior. Even though McCain tried to distance himself from W. in the third debate, it looks like he will be just more of the same thing--give tax cut to the big corporation and the riches and cut government programs and welfares, and look at what those rich people did with the money--it all went down the tube and requires a bailout from the taxpayer (more than $2000 for each citizen of the US). Study the banking and economic system and understand why the system collapsed, and then see how the republican's irresponsible policy has gotten us there.
Obama's message is this--tax cut for the middle class--those making $250000 or less, corporate responsibility and accountability, social welfare, big public infrastructure for the goods of the public. Does he have "running a country" on his resume, no one would until he/she became a president. The ability to recruit and use the right people and to delegate tasks is more important than a do-all'er.
The president do need congress approval on things, but your statement on that is an over-simplification. The president, even after the bill is passed by both chambers, have a right to veto, which will require 2/3 of congress to override it. Even after he signs it, he has a clause called the "executive orders" to shape the way the bill actually gets carried out. George W. has used that more than any president in the US history to subvert and circumvent things.
People made the same criticism (green) about a fellow by the name of John F Kennedy. I think he did just fine.
As for Gore, being vice president to an immensely charismatic guy like Bill Clinton (not to mention an also very charismatic first lady in hillary) does not help to attract spotlight. But his record is about as good as any vice president becoming president. he was a immensely popular senator from Tennessee before becoming Bill's running mate; and actually ran in the primary one time before his 2000 bid. He is also a very smart guy and taught at Harvard Law. Bill's charisma dwarfed Al's but not many people can outshine a character like Clinton.
Anyway, my opinion that a republican is either extremely rich (making over $250 000 a year) or extremely ignorant stand. In the first case, the rich republican is still stupid, but at least he is looking out for his own short term interest (in the long term the consequence is still dire, see $700 billion bailout), the second group is just plain stupid.
Oh, by the way, California is by far not the only state who is trying to be somewhat humane toward farm animals (in a more enlightened society, folks would not eat carcass of another sentient being, but treating them well is, well better than not treating well). Oregon, Florida, and Arizona are among the states that have similar measures for farm animals, though California's protection of egg-laying hens is an improvement. Anyway, battery-caged chickens get sick more easily and could produce salmonella-laced eggs, bad for human health. Some wise man has said, the well-being of a society is reflected by how it treats its animals and prisoners, we are failing in both accounts.
I just think everyone should vote if his/her get a chance.
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