Sandy

How I Got Here

Immediately after the second debate I received a very lengthy text from a good friend. This friend is a solid Republican and always has been. He never has sent me a text like it in all our many years of being pals. He was very polite but he definitely sounded angry or maybe frustrated is a better term or maybe a little of both; it was hard to tell. Then he sent about four more lengthy texts. I wondered at first if he was drunk but he seemed to be making decent sense and all his words were spelled correctly (something even a smart phone can't completely compensate for - drunk texting).

The angle he presented was, "I hope you're happy with your guy". He then laid out a reasonable case against Obamacare and how it will be the demise of our country. He pointed out that the lack of compromise in Washington isn't all on the shoulders of the GOP and I agreed. He pointed out a lot of "mistruths" Obama has spoken and promised and, again, I agreed. He argued the Democratic position on the economy and their vision of regulation and taxes is the wrong approach.

My replies were short, for the most part, and very neutral. I would never defend Obama in my replies and continually pointed out I don't really align with the Democratic view overall. However, I would end each response letting him know I just didn't feel the Republican Party was speaking to a guy like me anymore. I explained I still felt very conservative in my mind but the words no longer mean what they used to mean to the, now, majority of the Party. On top of that, they totally shunned my vote. They never once tried to reason with me. The strategy was to appease the far right for as long as they had to and then totally pivot to the undecided, uninformed voter and tell them whatever they wanted to hear. In the long run their strategy might work and they can go on to rule without my support. We'll know the answer to that soon enough.

Another point, and probably the deeper message of the entire discussion, was his hitting on the issue of, "I just find it hard to believe a smart guy like you would end up drawing the conclusions you do." I mean this with all humility and sincerity (really I do), I don't think I'm that smart. I was always the goofball and of two of my closest friends I was the dumbest. No doubt, even at a young age, I was "bright". Maybe it's impossible to explain and convey properly but I know the reality of it all because it exists in my head. There are so many people that come in and comment and contribute on my threads on Facebook, about an array of topics, and bring great insight and perspective. So many people that are smarter than me in so many different areas: politics, science, economy, math, English, and the list goes on and on. I am very simple and only seek common ground from people so we can successfully share the same reality.

When it comes to this specific election my position isn't that complicated. It seems to be that most people on both sides of the aisle pretty much agree George W. Bush was a shitty President and left us with a mess. Even if they don't outwardly express their view using the same adjectives I use, it still seems pretty obvious even the Republicans weren't too fond of him when it was all said and done. The proof is The Tea Party. They are a bunch of Republicans that don't think Bush lead the way they want to be lead on many fronts. Another piece of evidence supporting the claim they didn't like him is the fact they only complain about Democrats always using the "inherited a mess" phrase over and over. They never dispute that fact, instead they just complain about the Obama supporters always using it as an excuse. So it would seem at this point, right after the Bush years, we all land on some common ground of sorts. Where to go from there is an entirely different matter but the fact remains we are standing on common footing at that moment.

The McCain election was an entirely different animal than the current election in my decision making process. I liked John McCain. I had liked him for a long time. McCain was my preferred choice over W. during his first run at the Republican nomination. I totally concede I bought into the feel good vibe of the Obama campaign. He was offering hope and change and that was a message that resonated with me. He was the American dream come true. He made history and I was proud to be a part of it. Even with all of that going for him I still hadn't ruled out McCain. I had never voted anything but Republican in all my elections. I found myself embarrassed for my 2004 vote supporting Bush and my loyalty was battling my conscience. The straw that broke the camel's back for me in 2008 was the nomination of Palin. It was gimmicky and it wasn't leadership. Even most of the insiders, those responsible for the nomination, have admitted it. That's how that one went down.

This election, however, is completely different. This one seems far less complicated and common ground seems more obtainable than four years ago. McCain wasn't W. Bush and he was happy to let us know that. He had clear differences with Bush and we could see them. So we all went our own ways and some of us voted out of character for many reasons that don't usually play a role in elections. This year the election is very traditional. The incumbent tells us he is doing the best he can and the next four years will be even better under his next term. The challenger points out the flaws of the President and tries to convince us he (not to be sexist but I'll start using he/she when a woman wins a primary - which might be sooner rather than later) is a better option.

So let's examine where we are at this moment. Let's throw out all the nonsense about the demise and doom of our country if Obama wins again. We will survive. We will survive if Romney wins. We will survive if either of the Vice Presidents have to take over. Harboring this type of sentiment is ignorant to the history of this nation and the people that have made it what it is. Every election cycle someone wins and someone loses and we plug along.

A legitimate knock against Obama is he hasn't laid out a clear plan for his next term. Even though I concede this is a valid and a worthy critique, we still pretty much know what to expect. The dude is pretty moderate and tries very hard to be bipartisan but hasn't met a willing partner. He's even pissed off his base because they think he's weak because he doesn't just ram things through and still tries to work with Republicans. Like him or not, agree with him or not, you pretty much know what is in store the next four years.

When turning to examine what Romney says he is offering it seems pretty clear he's bringing back the W. Bush policies. He was asked point blank how he's different from W. Bush during the last debate. He seemed so happy to answer and I was so happy to hear his answer. His difference, the only one he mentioned: China. He'll come in and wave his magic underwear wand and fix China and all their evilness. That was it, one thing. And why would it be any different? Romney has almost all of the neo-cons (Dan Senor of all people) that advised W. Bush during his eight years advising him and his campaign now. They will certainly be his advisers if he wins. He believes in trickle down economics. He believes in lowering taxes (though not actually "cutting" them) and raising our military budget. He believes we should overturn Roe V. Wade. He believes we should arm rebels in Syria. He believes we should "get tough" with Iran. How is this any different than if we re-elected W. Bush?

This is what gets me, the divergence at this point where we should have common ground. Didn't we all kind of agree W. Bush wasn't good for us? Then how is it half of our country can, with such fervor, be willing to go that direction again? You hate Obama that much? You live in that much fear and darkness? I'm not a Democrat. I think Obama has flaws. I don't have a lot of faith in the Democrats ability to govern. Having said all of that, these last four years haven't been worse than W. Bush's run. The Stock Market was half of what it was when Obama took office. Bin Laden was on the loose. Millions of children and needy people went without decent medical service and when they did require attention they received it at the most expensive facility possible at our expense anyway. We are no longer in a war in Iraq. We are ending the war in Afghanistan. Our auto industry was successfully bailed out, something I was against at the time (and still might be but at least I acknowledge it did work). The S&P and NASDAQ indexes are off the charts. Our standing on the global stage is more credible and we are liked more than we were four years ago (you can say this isn't important but it is). He appointed the first Latino Cabinet member and then went on to appoint another one, a female at that. He appointed the first Latino to the Supreme Court, again a female. He's never pulled anything out of his sleeve and he's only done what he said he would do all along, sometimes less but never more.

I don't hate Mitt Romney. I'm not going to be crushed if he wins. I probably won't even notice the difference between the two in my personal life. I think he's probably a very good man and it seems like he has an awesome family. But I can't be responsible for voting for policies I know have already failed. Facts matter. They even have them in nice little graphs so you don't have to think too hard. The part where everything is going down, and fast, is Bush policy. The part where the bleeding stops and eventually begins to head upward in the right direction is Obama. Facts. I'm not in the tank for Obama. If the truth be known I'd seriously take Gary Johnson over either of these two guys and be very happy about it. However, that's not the reality we face. When it comes to Obama and Romney I'm going with the evidence between what I've seen and experienced to not work and what I've seen and experienced to work better than how it was when it sucked.

I like both men personally. I think they're both American citizens. I think they both are good family men. I think they are both shining examples of success. I'm not voting based on emotion. I'm informed. I'm not imposing my will on others. I'm not asking for Amendments to The Constitution. I'm not angry. I not afraid. I'm not inclined to think our country will fail if the guy I vote for loses. I'm making a sincere effort to vote for the best for this country. I've encouraged many (maybe too many) conversations about politics and this election and brought many intelligent, respected, well liked, and very normal people to the table to present their views. The evidence has all been laid out before you. Simply look at the amount of quality people that have voiced support for Obama on my Facebook wall through numerous comments about many different political philosophies. By no means am I suggesting people that support Romney aren't quality people or haven't contributed in very meaningful ways to the discussion. I'm only pointing to the numbers. Personally I have people that I are my favorites on the medium and I follow their activities on Facebook because they have captured my attention. Almost every single one, if not all, of those people that I admire, that I look toward and up to for their perspective, that I think are truly smarter than me, are all voting for Obama. Does that mean anything? Have we all been duped?

I'm not trying to divide; I'm trying to unite. Let's get together and agree we know how this worked out the last time we went with W. Bush's policies. Let's agree that things have gotten better since Obama took over. Let's agree that we are part of the problem and our Congressmen and women are extensions of us and our lack of desire to compromise with one another. Let's agree that the reason we get lied to is because we don't really care about facts. Let's agree that it won't get any better until we decide to take our role seriously. Let's agree that we have way more in common than we are lead to believe. Let's agree that we all know the other person is moral and decent and shares values with us. Let's agree to look to those that seem the most in the know of those that we do know. Let's agree that we all don't know everything about everything and we have to go with those that demonstrate the best reasoning skills. Let's agree to not identify with anything other than the common good of all our citizens.

Warning Labels

If we feel the need to warn people of these dangers ....

..... then I'm not sure why we are debating whether or not to warn them about the contents of the food they eat.

What A Fool Believes

I love when someone starts a sentence in this fashion .... "I would like to believe..."

It's like it triggers an automatic shutdown mode to my listening system. In my constant quest to become the most complete person I can be I've decided to confront my phobia of this phrase and simply embrace it. 

Here goes...

I would like to believe the more I push down on the gas pedal the better gas mileage I get.

I would like to believe photos of me make me look fat.

I would like to believe Fox News is some type of elaborate Colbert Report prank.

I would like to believe if really rich people got their hands on money they wouldn't take it offshore and would invest it in the country that allowed them to acquire it.

I would like to believe people are inherently evil and can't possibly be good unless some type of divine intervention takes place.

I would like to believe my Xbox won't red ring until the next generation gaming console is released.

I would like to believe there is a woman out there that really, truly, at every level gets me and would still have sex with me.

I would like to believe in a country of 300 plus million people we would have a hard time deciding on who we are voting for because they are both so good. 

I would like to believe I choose what I would like to believe.

I would like to believe when I die I don't really die and actually get to live for eternity and hang out with everyone I ever knew.

I would like to believe when something bad happens it really only happens for some incredibly mysterious reason that will ultimately lead to something that will bring me gigantic amounts of joy.

I would like to believe it will soon be discovered Big Macs lower the chances of heart disease.

I would like to believe people see me post links to my blog and actually click on the link.

I would like to believe private industries will naturally do the right thing and never need regulation or oversight.

I would like to believe the world is black and white and the answers are always crystal clear.

I would like to believe there was an instruction booklet for life that is infallible.

I would like to believe when I look down and see my fly unzipped that it just occurred moments before I discovered it.

I would like to believe when people say "field gold" to describe a football traveling through the goalposts that I'm just hearing them wrong.

I would like to believe every single network and news organization are colluding together to dumb down the country except for the one channel I watch.

I would like to believe when I find a hair in my food that it was probably just mine.

I would like to believe there could be one awesome final little quip to offer that would allow this piece to wrap up perfectly.