Election Blues...
I’ve been seeing friends make posts, and random strangers on message boards as well, about the election for a couple days now. I’ve really been down on democracy myself, and thought I’d write what I think about what’s been going on the last few days.
I totally feel the pain of those wanting a candidate they can put stock in. I'm really frustrated by the differences that did exist between candidates. I feel like the election was won for reasons that should not have played a role. But I can empathize with people that may have voted in the winning direction. Until recently, I’d considered myself a moderate Republican. For the most part, I continue to hold the somewhat conservative values I was raised with. At the same time, I’ve seen the need for programs that help those who are less fortunate and my future livelihood hinges on programs Democrats support in the Congress. So at this time, I’m really torn between Republican and Democratic values. I want some middle ground damnit!
I started to wonder if I was Libertarian, but took an online quiz that would spit out your party affiliation and scored equally high on Republican and Democrat with a much lower score for the other options. Which leaves me stuck in the middle without any real options of someone who can truly represent my beliefs. This forces me to choose between folks that will help fund my research and those that I may agree with more on issues I find more fundamental. It’s very hard.
I’ll admit, I voted for John Kerry. Mostly because I’m scared by all the stuff that has been happening and I fear that GW may only take us deeper. But, I can understand any number of reasons why people voted for the man. Unfortunately, I feel like some of the issues that brought voters to the polls should not have necessarily played a role in the election. If anyone wants to talk about this in private, let me know.
I'm in Ohio right now. And it's rough. It's rough being told that it all hinged on us. But the fact is, Ohio isn't the only state in the union and it could have easily hinged on other states too. I feel like a lot of people are placing blame on Ohioans for the outcome. It's always easier to point the finger than to look at everyone immediately around you. It's also easier to blame those that voted differently from you without understanding the various reasons people vote the way they do. The important thing was not that Bush won in Ohio, the important thing is that it was close. Maybe it wasn't the closest state, but Ohioans as a group were horribly divided. Everyday going back and forth from school, I’d see signs for Bush in one yard and the next house over would have a sign for Kerry. Kerry carried the election in my portion of the state. But in more rural parts of the state, the story was different.
I can’t blame my fellow Ohioans for the outcome. I won’t blame the countless other states where the election wasn’t nearly as close. The individual citizens that voted are not to blame for the state of our country. The two-party system and the issues that have become the focus are what should be blamed. I understand that the two-party system is supposed to make it easy for you to know what the parties stand for, but I feel like the issues that have come to the forefront are not the issues that should drive elections. Think about what most people know about the parties: GOP is pro-life, Democrats are pro-choice; GOP is anti-gun control, Democrats are pro-gun control; GOP are against gay-marriage, Democrats are for gay-marriage; now there are other distinctions, but these are the issues that I felt came up a lot in this election and that a lot of people just know about the parties. They are certainly the first things I knew before this political season. Such issues force people to choose between what they may consider morally important (thereby being the underpinnings of fundamental rules and laws) and other issues that would be nice, but seem much less fundamental. What else did I learn this political season? According to the ads, Democrats would bring jobs back to the US (or at least prevent others from leaving). And of course, Democrats support funding institutions that will hopefully someday provide me with research grants.
I was very disheartened when it became clear that GW had Ohio. I felt like my vote didn’t matter. I felt like it was all for naught. I was angry, confused, and frustrated. I had doomsday visions and wondered why I was bothering with the amount of schooling I am obtaining.
This morning I received an email that a friend had written about the situation. It was the first uplifting thing I’ve seen anyone say about it. He and some friends had gone to a state neighboring their own to campaign. They visited people on election day and gave them rides to the polls if necessary. He shared in the frustration that many people are feeling right now, but I guess the big difference is that he actually went out and tried to make a difference. And that gave me hope. If we’re going to get upset about what happens, we need to get more involved than even just voting. Voting is the least you can do. Voting doesn’t give you the right to beat up on others because they disagree with you. Campaigning doesn’t even give you that right. But if you aren’t happy with the way things are, you have to take it into your own hands well before the decision is made and work to help promote what you believe in.
We are the future. The system sucks, but maybe if we all get more involved and make it clear what matters to us and who we want as our future candidates, maybe things will get better and we’ll have better choices.