Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Election Day, Part 1

This will not be a pretty post. There will be complaining and snarkiness. There might be profanity. You've been warned.

Here we are on "Super Tuesday," halfway through the needlessly endless process that we use in this country to elect...Presidential Candidates. And this has been going on for at least a year. And the inauguration is just under a year away. So until then we're held hostage by political ads, sound-bites, interviews, more ads, talking heads on every cable channel, phone call after phone call (our reward for being diligent voters), letters, requests for money, polls, and some more ads. Unlike Super Bowl ads, the political ones are neither amusing nor humorous, and hardly informative. But they are incessant. And they're expensive. And so are the candidates' staffs, and their jets (have you noticed, gas has gone up), and their hotel rooms, and their staffs' hotel rooms, and their conventions, and their pollsters, and their mailers and their incessant ads. We're at the point where it costs hundreds of millions of dollars to get elected President in our country.

So while the candidates are telling their voters - and they all know who their own particular voters are - what they think the voters want to hear, they also have their hands out to those who can finance their campaigns. And when the campaigns are over and one person has won, do you think his or her debt will be to the voters or to the financiers? It doesn't matter which side you look at. The Republicans have their corporations and the Democrats have their unions. Both have deep pockets, plenty of lobbyists and a lot of clout.

I'm sorry that I'm so cynical, but I've been disappointed by every person I've ever given my vote for President to. I can't embrace another dynamic candidate and think he'll be the one to change things up. I can't imagine that one person can unite our shamefully divided and partisan Congress and cause them to bring about change or improvements. And while I do believe that our public servants enter politics with the sincere goal of serving their constituencies, I don't believe that they get to stay in office unless they embrace quite different goals.

At the same time, my heart hurts when I think about the money that we spend on Presidential campaigns and the lives it could help and the problems it could solve. Pick your cause: poverty, hunger, disease eradication, the environment? Would throwing $100 million at it help? Instead of giving constant speeches about funding universal health care, let's figure out a way to funnel the campaign money to ACTUALLY FUND IT. That would be a campaign I could get behind.

As disappointed as I am with the process and the candidates, I did vote. I voted for someone who seems moderate and somewhat sane. I don't know if he'll be elected. I don't think it'll make much difference if he does. I do want our country to be safe, and secure, and prosperous. I do want equal opportunity for all. I do want us to fulfill all of the endless potential we have. I'm just not sure if the folks who are running for the White House are the best choices to help us do that.

3 comments:

Nik said...

Well as an Aussie who really does not understand one bit of your electoral campaign I have to say that I agree..

For the last week we have had to watch updates and news and today, the results from Super Tuesday (yes I know what that is now).

The money that is being spent on this and it could be be used to fix New Orleans, provide better conditions for returning vetrans (yes I know about that too) or lord forbide..on fixing the ecomony.

Over here we dont get a choice on who leads the party. THE PARTY DECIDES!!!! We just vote for which ever one we hate less. It works. It takes 6 weeks from elcetion announcement until election day.

I will however be throwing my hat in here. If I was there and I had to vote it would be Hillary.. Sorry folks..but I have heard her campaign speeches and I have read the website and I believe she has some good policies and things she wants to get done to make your country a better one..

Good luck you all.. I am so glad that I do not have to deal with that election process.

Anonymous said...

For the longest time I didn't vote because of just what you said, but then my conscious got to me and I realized that even if my candidate doesn't win, I have to try to make a difference.

Jaq

Lissa Ballard said...

All I can offer is AMEN!