Why I chose to make sure my vote DIDN'T count
So, this year at the VA democratic primaries only two of the names on the ballot were still in the race. So what did I do? Well... I voted for Edwards--who had already dropped out.
Why did I do it?
Well, to understand this, you'll have to understand a little about me... I'm a pretty "out there" guy - I have very liberal views, and I am very rarely in agreement with the rest of the country.
All through the bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan I felt so at odds with the rest of America--not George Bush, not the government, but with Americans themselves, because we were tolerating it. You can point out that 2000 and 2004 were "stolen elections", and I won't disagree--but what infuriated me even more than the usurping of the democratic process was the fact that it was actually close enough to steal. That fact more than any other enraged me. It said to me "Americans are OK with this".
So, after so many years of feeling what at times had become a sort of seething hatred for "my fellow Americans", I am finally beginning feel good about America again. The overwhelming, near-unanimous denouncement of the Bush administration from both Democrats and Republicans helps me sleep at night.
So, with that said, you can imagine my delight that for the first time in my life I am confident that (whoever wins the primaries, Hillary or Obama) I will have a candidate that I believe in running for the presidency, and one that actually has a shot to win.
I know that as I drive around the streets and look at people's bumper stickers, I won't be enraged, or disappointed----I will have the same sticker as they do (be it Obama, or Hillary)
So I pledge my support to both candidates. Now. Before the primaries. I pledge my wholehearted support to whoever wins.
In the spirit of this pledge, I want to remain as open-minded and unbiased as possible until the Democratic nominee is chosen. I don't want to be overwhelmingly on one side or the other.
That was the stand that I took at the poles this season, and in many ways, it wasn't any stand at all--decidedly so.
Politics is a tricky issue.
Politics is a tricky issue. For me, it's hard to determine the candidates truthfulness as opposed to their actual ability to solve problems/pass policies. They can say whatever they want to court us voters. It's been proven time and again--the dirty politics, the bashing commercials, the edgy advertisements. I feel that I must state my belief in the democratic system of governance, however, with all this wooing and bashing, how is the average voter able to form a solid opinion based on policy and experience with the influence of the media?
Granted, there is be no perfect candidate--everyone has their faults--however, when a politician takes to dirty politics--it turns me off to them. It's an immature, low and petty method of proving their point--ineffective in sum.
However, I realize that this is the essence of politics, and that is why I choose to deviate from the normal party lines and choose the candidate who seems moral and just according to my standards. This season evokes a need for a strong and promising president--and there are definite promising candidates in the running. Each have their faults, be it lack of experience, past stances, moral outlooks--it'll be an interesting beginning to say the least.
lol...
You've said nothing! hehe... it's like you're a politician ;)
If I had to choose a major
If I had to choose a major candidate that best represents my views, I'd have chosen Dennis Kucinich; however he and most of the others had dropped out before the primaries reached California so I was left with a choice between Obama and Clinton.
Honestly, I don't think either of them will end the culture of American Imperialism; no serious presidential candidate ever could. We can try and think that a Democrat would fix the government and make the US a happy benevolent world power, but even the most ardent anti-war democrat would be too afraid of looking weak to actually do something to change the nature of the military-industrial complex. But hey, they're better than Republican, so I continue to vote for them.
If that seemed a little muddled, it's something I'd have said better spread across ten or so pages, but I'm trying to keep things readable here.
Anyway, I decided to vote tactically. And I think Obama has a better chance of winning the presidency; mainly because for the past sixteen years the right has been smearing her mercilessly. Way back in 1992 I started receiving false emails about the misdeeds of Hillary; after so many years of that, there's a lot of people that think she encapsulates the worst qualities of Mao and Mussolini. Sure, there's all sorts of negative things being said about Obama right now, but the lies about him have had much less time to spread. Just in the past few months I've read serious articles accusing Clinton of being responsible for the deaths of Benazir Bhutto, JFK Jr., Vince Foster, and a reporter's cat. The rhetoric on Obama just isn't that sophisticated.
I keep reading people seriously discussing things like how Barack Obama doesn't have enough foreign policy experience or senate experience to be elected president. _Of the country that elected George W Bush twice_. I think that's a damn good indicator that the general electorate doesn't care about experience, policy, or basic competency; we elect people based on swagger, a nice face, and sound bites.
Anyway, I think Obama has a decent chance; much moreso that Senator Clinton. He may be a black man, but he's not a scary black man. He's like the Will Smith of politics. Also, American men can vote for him without feeling emasculated, as they would voting for Clinton. Women have ever only had male choices for president, so gender is less of a factor, I think. It is, as they say, a hard motherfucking fact of life, but Hillary Clinton is not the person that will change the country's views on electing a female president.