Today we go to the polls and put an end to the craziness that has taken over our lives. The newspapers and televisions have been so full of politics that I am bored with it all. In spite of the fact that I believe in our system of democracy and have been a faithful voter since the day I turned 18, it's easy to grow weary of the rhetoric and negativity that swirl around elections. It's just not in my nature to be critical of someone - especially in public. It's such a nasty business and I'm really uncomfortable with it. My mother was of the "If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" school of upbringing. Early lessons are well learned and I don't think I ever heard my mother say an unkind word about another person. She didn't dislike people, she felt sorry for them! So I am very much like that as well.
I find that in a small town politics is not really meaningful in many ways. I have no idea how my friends vote, and I really don't care. It does not make a difference to me in terms of my feelings about them. Around here life goes on, pretty much the same way, no matter who is in charge in Washington.
If I were running for office I would have a very hard time saying anything unkind about an opponent. (Which is why I would never make much of a politician I guess) My attitude would be along the lines of "This is me-if you want to vote for me, that's great - I'll work very hard for you. But if you'd rather vote for the other person, well, he's a nice guy too!" Thus I will never be running for anything very important I guess. I think the Governor's position is safe from me!
I also have a hard time having conversations with people who are so strongly aligned with one party or another that they cannot see the candidate for their own prejudices. I've never been registered with a party and prefer to take each person for who they are as opposed to what their party stands for. I'm far more concerned with having a moral, honest, ethical person in office representing me (on any level) than one who spouts a particular platform. Of course, sometimes those attributes are in pretty short supply. And sometimes they are impossible to detect. And so the party platforms become more important to me then. But this year, this election, is boring me. It is historic - and for that reason I am watching intently - but other than that, I have not enjoyed it. Too much name calling and finger pointing. I look forwad to finding out how our next president, whomeber that may be, will deal with the many challenges facing us as a nation right now. This seems to be the most critical time in our nation's history since the late 1960s in my mind.
But - I'll be so glad when this election is over.
I find that in a small town politics is not really meaningful in many ways. I have no idea how my friends vote, and I really don't care. It does not make a difference to me in terms of my feelings about them. Around here life goes on, pretty much the same way, no matter who is in charge in Washington.
If I were running for office I would have a very hard time saying anything unkind about an opponent. (Which is why I would never make much of a politician I guess) My attitude would be along the lines of "This is me-if you want to vote for me, that's great - I'll work very hard for you. But if you'd rather vote for the other person, well, he's a nice guy too!" Thus I will never be running for anything very important I guess. I think the Governor's position is safe from me!
I also have a hard time having conversations with people who are so strongly aligned with one party or another that they cannot see the candidate for their own prejudices. I've never been registered with a party and prefer to take each person for who they are as opposed to what their party stands for. I'm far more concerned with having a moral, honest, ethical person in office representing me (on any level) than one who spouts a particular platform. Of course, sometimes those attributes are in pretty short supply. And sometimes they are impossible to detect. And so the party platforms become more important to me then. But this year, this election, is boring me. It is historic - and for that reason I am watching intently - but other than that, I have not enjoyed it. Too much name calling and finger pointing. I look forwad to finding out how our next president, whomeber that may be, will deal with the many challenges facing us as a nation right now. This seems to be the most critical time in our nation's history since the late 1960s in my mind.
But - I'll be so glad when this election is over.
No comments:
Post a Comment