The "Fence-Sitter & Bipartisan Politics" Blog

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.