Thursday, July 26, 2012

Seventh Ring of Hell: Election Year

Seventh Ring of Hell: Election Year

Anyone that has been watching the weather at all this summer knows that most of the country has descended into the seventh ring of hell. heat_poweroutages(Except for my readers in the Pacific Northwest who seem to be the only area in the country NOT angry red on the map) I have to wonder if any of this is connected to the fact that it is an election year and things seem so much nastier this year than four years ago.

Does anyone notice that elections seem to get worse and worse every year? The attack ads, the snits, the commentary, the sound bites taken out of context, the back-and-forth snarky remarks… To me, the country has lost its way on both sides of the aisle. I do not want to get all political on you but I think it is time someone Political_Circus_Clownssaid something truthful. Both Republicans and Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for taking something that should by all accounts be a serious endeavor and making it a circus. My father has always stressed the importance of understanding each candidate and the issues and platform the candidate has. Do we ever hear about their platforms anymore? Do we ever hear anything other than hate speech? A country only gets the government it deserves and most people I hear talk about the election only spit out the rhetoric they hear in attack ads and never once question the truth of either side. They do no research and just parrot what they hear. I find it depressing and as oppressive as the wet blanket heat we have in the summer here.

I recently started talking to a guy I thought would be fun and we seemed to have a lot in common. As per my usual, I was wrong. In the first conversation we had he started in on President Obama and Obamacare and any other thing he felt he did not like. When I questioned him why he did not care for any of these things he started telling me how he is not legally an AmericanBirther-Delusion and wants to be a dictator and on and on… about matters that are frankly a moot point. The President presented a birth certificate. Yes his middle name is Hussein but millions of people in the world and our own country carry that name as Islam is one of the world’s largest religions and the President does not practice that religion… it is just a name just like you have that middle name you do not want to share with people. If your middle name is Esmeralda or Irmagarde you are not likely to go around telling people unless you just love that name… I would not but that is my opinion. Neither of those names or whatever name you carry likely as a family name makes you who you are, and it is certainly NOT a reason to not vote for someone. What if a President’s president-obama2middle name was a name generally deemed as wimpy or feminine…. Like Cecil or (here in the south it is common to hear a “girl” name think Gone With The Wind) Courtney… would that make him a bad President? I don’t think it matters.

When I finally spoke my mind to the gentleman, he actually muttered this dismissal “Well you couldn’t possibly understand; females are not meant for political matters.” Uh… hello? We have had the vote since the 20s and somesuffragettes of the greatest political minds in history have been female. Do tell ignorant douche canoe what it is that makes you think this? Can you explain that statement any better than your reason to vote in the other direction? Not that I mind who you vote for; just please know WHY you are doing it and understand it completely. Vote your conscience but know what it is and why. Do not just go into that booth and press a button or two because you believed a commercial. As a communications major I can assure you that those commercials are made to rile you, to sway you, to sound completely legit. It is sadly a mockery of the entire system set forth by our forefathers. It is not a popularity contest, thus the inclusion of the Electoral College. I don’t know Abraham_Lincoln_head_on_shoulders_photo_portraitmaybe it should be a popularity contest but obviously, I am unable to comprehend politics… since I happen to be a chick.

Most people do not understand the five-year overlap idea that President’s contend with; meaning they have to deal with the issues and mistakes or legislation made by the preceding President (think two wars…) so to have any real effect at all they must be a two-term President. The five-year overlap applies whether the President holds one term or two because policies made still take time to go into effect.

Worst still to me is the absolute inability to work together with the current administration. Bipartisanism has become so rampant that nothing is gettingBush Hosts Obama Former Presidents White House GePo2jz9_4cl accomplished at all. Should it matter what party you belong to once you get there? No, it shouldn’t your job is to work together to make the country the best you feel it can be. Not to squabble over parties or just dig in your heels and not participate because you have your head up your ass. We saw this during the first State of the Union when the Republicans responded to the President with so much disrespect and acted like petulant children even screaming the now infamous “LIAR”! This would never pressealhave been tolerated in the early days of our republic. So what has changed? Have we become so apathetic to what is happening that we are willing to flush our country down the toilet? Never in my life have I seen such behavior. I am losing faith in everything I was raised to believe in. Our government is broken. The people who have the power to fix it? We, the voters, but that is not going to happen with blatant misinformation, ignorance, and even in some places flat-out racism.

What is it going to take to put forth viable candidates from both parties? In the last several elections I have felt I am voting for the lesser of two evils. I should not have that choice to make. It shouldn’t be that way. Both candidates should be qualified and competent but no one seems to want to step up.

PS: Dirty little surprise for you here; I am a registered Republican.

Check all the facts and vote your mind, here are some resources:

http://www.factcheck.org/

http://www.politifact.com/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker

http://www.vikitech.com/454/get-your-facts-right-6-fact-checking-websites-that-help-you-know-the-truth

Mitt-Romney-241055-4-402

2 comments:

  1. I agree whole heartedly that neither Party is any better than the other anymore and you can't tell the difference when either one is speaking to the issues at hand anymore. They are all about blaming the other side and pointing fingers instead of offering a helpful hand!!! Makes this once great country so mediocre!!!!!

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  2. It used to be about your platform, where you stood on certain issues of the day. Now is about who is prettier or something! I don't get it. I can't stand it! I won't watch political ads anymore. And since I live in a "Battleground" state it is twice as bad as other places! I am sick to my stomach at the thought that our beautiful country that was built on such dreams and hopes... may not survive for my children or my grandchildren... that it will just be a dreamy story I tell them at my knee...

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