Nov 3, 2008

Election time

Election time is tomorrow and a mixture of dread and excitement is filling the air across both sides of the aisle. Me I've already casted my ballot and I'm currently in wait and see mode.

I used to have a respect for any and all reasons people made their choice, but that has since changed. While I understand most vote with their wallet and I can't say I blame them completely I cannot sit back and idly give nods to people who only vote for selfish gains.

While I understand the morality of issues such as abortion, gay marriage, etc. I look to my President to handle one issue above all and that being foreign policy. Our country is in dire need of a better relationship with the world community which not only affects our standing in the Security Council it also ties in with our trade relations. For social issues I hope our Governors, Senators, and the like can aptly defend and it's own party's platform.

But like most Americans we have no desire to clean up the mess we've made. We'd rather sit back and demand the President solve each and every issue this country faces. This is exactly why I'm worried about Obama assuming he gets elected.

Take a trip back in time with me. Bill Clinton won the 92 election with much hype. Promising to fix the recession, fight for minority rights, make sure nationalized health care is a viable option, and insuring broccoli will one day taste like bacon he entered the White House with very high expectations. Sadly his first couple years didn't go as expected as a half assed 'don't ask don't tell' policy was implemented, the health care fiasco created even a larger mess for the industry, and he was viewed upon as a weak leader incapable of delivering on the policies of his party.

Due to his inability to live up to the hype the Republicans took over Congress in the mid-term elections for the first time in decades. Consequently we saw a great politician turn into a lame duck who in a hundred years from now will only have impeachment to be remember for. Granted given the disaster that the current administration is we look back and romanticize our past, but as history moves on I see that changing.

Voters tend to have very short attention spans and I'm hoping the public will not demand that Obama be so Christ like if he enters the office, but I'm cynical. This could be a big win for the Republicans if he doesn't deliver soon and this upsets me. The economy is not going to turn around at the drop of a hat, the war won't cease, and we still have a lot of foreign relations that needs to be mended, but I'm afraid it won't happen soon enough for our impatient electorate.

All that being said I do hope you cast your ballot tomorrow and pray you not only think about the highest office in the land, but your other civil servants as well. Dispense the responsibility wisely and remember that they are just human beings as fallible as us. Well maybe they don't drink as much as I do.....

"It wasn't simply that Clinton created the greatest prosperity in the country's history. Or that we created 22 million new jobs, more than ever before. Under Clinton, poverty was reduced 25%." - Sidney Blumenthal

2 comments:

Unknown said...

He [Caesar] declared in Greek with loud voice to those who were present 'Let the dice be cast' and led the army across.– Plutarch, 'Life of Pompey, Ch. 60'

That is how I feel about the elections tomorrow. I can hope that the more qualified party wins. But more than that ... I hope he lives up to his campaign platform.

Miss Ash said...

Who did you vote for?