The first time I voted I was eighteen. I worked the polls. I embraced the political process as an emblem of my maturity – my voice equal to others.
I face the current state of our political system with nothing but gut wrenching disappointment. I understand now… we have no statesmen… not to say that we ever had an abundance of them… but somehow my eyes have opened. Those who seek to lead, those dedicated to some sense of purpose beyond short-term economic gains and a place in history, those also-rans, are certain to fail.
I could give a f**k who wins this election because not one of them could do any worse than the current administration – and I’m sorry dear friends, no thrill of history convinces me that any of the current viable candidates have a vision worth following.
We do not elect candidates on the basis of issues or abilities… but in response to who has the best “spin” machine and PR representatives. I am a republican with a little “r”. We should elect representatives we know and trust to choose the president. What we have now is a parody of democracy… the popular vote may or may not matter in either the primaries or the general election and any candidate without a “war chest” can pack it in. Power rests in the hands of the few and we are placated with the “Entertainment Channel” illusion of a process.
I wish as a nation we would turn our attention to the real issues. I wish we would consider the environment, a sustainable economy and what we’re going to do with the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq is the greatest blunder since Vietnam…. but I cannot bring myself to agree with my political compatriots who feel we should “just leave.” I can’t tell you how it grieves me to come to that conclusion…
We elected and allowed to be elected George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. We allowed them, out of our own real fear, to take us places we should have never gone. Now will we take responsibility for what has been done in our name? How will we repair the damage? Can we change our presence in Iraq from war to building? I don’t know…
