So we’re less than thirty days out now, and apparently I ruffled some feathers over on ye olde Facebook the other day by proclaiming that I was not going to vote and that I was demanding a better choice. I was immediately told that my statement was “epic Fail” and that not voting just because the choices are bad would allow the “wrong choice” to walk into office for four years. I really don’t care who you think is the wrong choice, because this election is essentially Jack Johnson against John Jackson.
Candidate “A” is a big government liberal Socialist. He uses the trigger word “Change” although neither he nor his running mate has ever truly described the change they would bring to Washington. Candidate “A” has only served one full term in any political post he’s ever been elected to. Of interest with Candidate “A” is that, in subtle opposition to his “change” platform is his selection of a Senator who has served for 36 years.
Candidate “B” is a big government conservative hiding behind the maverick label. He served in Vietnam and spent five years as a Prisoner of War in Southeast Asia. He’s been in the Senate since 1982. His voting practices show a growing tendency to support the current administration’s policies. Candidate “B” selected a single-term governor from Alaska as his running mate. This selection could’ve been Candidate B’s moment in the sun, but campaign blunders and a lack of knowledge on her part brought that wave crashing down.
PRO: Candidate A selects an experienced member of the Washington scene as his VP candidate.
CON: The only problem is this candidate, who has been in the senate for 36 years, continually derides the opposing Presidential candidate for being in the Senate for 26 years.
PRO: Candidate B selects a woman has his running mate.
CON: He forgot to select a woman who understands politics.
PRO: Both campaigns have long-term political experience.
CON: Both campaigns have been in Washington for many years and have fallen out of touch with today’s electorate.
PRO: Candidate A claims he would cut taxes on 95% of working families.
CON: Candidate A also claims to have billions upon billions in government spending already lined up.
Candidate A, as previously stated, has only served one full term in any political position he’s been elected to. I raised this point to a friend the other day, and he countered with an interesting argument. There was once a man who ran for a seat in the Illinois Senate and lost. He ran again later and lost. He ran for a position representing Illinois in the US House of Representatives, and lost. He ran for State Senate again, and lost. Then he ran for President and won. He was Abraham Lincoln.
My friend’s point was that experience does not necessarily equal a quality job. I have nothing against Lincoln. He did the best he could under the circumstances. But the fact remains: this vaunted, well-respected President, who some call the Greatest President Ever, did something that no other President has ever done. He raised an army to invade his own country.
I’m not saying Candidate A is going to invade the United States; I’m saying that he cannot be compared to Abraham Lincoln.
The economy is in the tank. Candidate B wants both parties to suspend their campaigns and work together to fix it, which is basically saying that he wants to make face time at the Capitol Building. Candidate A says that the President should be able to handle multiple things at one time, which is his way of saying “I’d rather put myself on TV.”
The Republicans are blowing their own trumpets because they have a woman on the ticket. That may be the one positive going for the GOP at the moment. They’ve crashed and burned on the economy. They’re stubborn support of the Iraq War has caused many to lose faith in the party.
The Democrats are the party of “choice.” At least, they are when it pertains to abortion. Under pretty much every Democrat I’ve heard, you’ll find out that the party doesn’t want a person choosing how many guns to have in their own house, choosing what school their child goes to, or choosing what doctor to see. These are all issues that the government should handle for you, because you as a voter are too busy watching American Idol.
Truthfully, Americans are tired. We’re tired of a crappy economy that is the result of both parties trying to make themselves and integral part of a capitalist machine. We’re tired of a war that one side says is lost and the other side says can be won if we spend a little more money. We’re tired of gas prices going through the roof when we know that we have our own supplies but certain factions won’t let us touch them. We’re tired. Plain and simple.
The plain truth is that the Washington elite have no idea what’s happening on main street USA anymore. They don’t know what it’s like for a person to stare down this economy, and feel the threat that their own retirement might go away. Congress doesn’t have the same retirement set-up that most American’s have. They put no money into Social Security.
That’s why I’m not sure if I’m going to vote. There’s no choice in this election. It’s either one big government candidate or another.
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