Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Politics

Ok, despite growing up in New England-land of the Passionate Democrat, the Tree Hugger, the Environmentalists, etc-I have no real interest in Politics. I have many people around me who believe in them and base their lives on them: my mother and my aunt didn't speak for a year when my mom said that she was voting for George Bush! But, I just don't get it.
There are many aspects to politics that confuse me:
1) Half the time politicians are speaking a language that makes no sense to me. Sometimes it's because I just don't understand economics. Sometimes it's because their speech writers try to make them sound smarter than they are. Sometimes it's because they can't read what their speech writers write. Sometimes it's because the world doesn't make sense so why should the people who think that they are running it.
2) Most of the things that politicians say, especially presidential candidates, are nothing but words. To me, they are just false promises and silly words that have nothing to do with anything accept to show that they can speak and read off of a teleprompter. WHY should we believe anything that these people say? How can we base our vote on WORDS and words alone? How do we KNOW what they say IS true, will COME true, and will have the desired effect? How do we know who these people really are?
3) What do we really know about the senators and what they really do in Washington? All the information we have comes from the media and the media turns these things whatever way that they want to. Who's word do we believe?
So, who do I vote for? Does watching every debate, the summits, the conventions and all that crap really help a person to understand what they are voting for? I really don't think that it does. I really don't know what I want to do about voting. I would have voted for Hillary because I want a woman to be president and I know she's got at least one good person behind her because her speeches are usually good. I'm not sure what to do about Mcain and Obama. Usually I am a gut feeling kind of person and my gut tells me that Mcain is a jackass with fake "values". But I haven't gotten that from speeches and reports, I've gotten it from the look on his face, the images and photos. Still, Obama may be the family man, the health care guy, the New Black Man, the voice of the future, the Green Guy, and the Democrat, but he doesn't seem to be anything more than promises that have been made before. I would LOVE it if health insurance was cheaper and easier and I would love to vote for the guy who wasn't totally against abortion and IS totally for "Greening" the USA, but is THAT enough to base my vote on? Is it worth voting at all? Will he really bring those things forward?
I consider myself to be a liberal person. I do NOT consider myself a Democrat OR a Rebublican; although I generally lean toward the Democratic beliefs, but I do not stake my life on voting. Some people are shocked when I say that I don't vote unless it's for the presidency, but, really, I feel like my indecisiveness isn't worth anything. IF I understand, IF I feel strongly about it, IF I am 100% sure then, yes, I will vote for the smallest town law to be passed-or for the president. But, if I don't know, and there's no one there I feel the need to support, which is the lesser evil?

1 comment:

Andrew said...

Nothing wrong with going with your gut I suppose. I get similarly conflicted with the whole "how much of what I'm hearing is a load of crap?" But I only need to see a picture or hear one often incomplete sentence to know voting for Bush to lead the country would have been foolish. Even if he promised me "free...uh, of that health stuff and ring dings for all you folks!" Wouldn't matter. Since, of course, I've taken more of an interest because lack of understanding had to have had a huge hand in the last 2 elections.