Will the Real Independent Please Stand Up?

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding politics lately. In fact, more people have been involved in American politics than ever before and that's great. But, I tend to find politics to be quite tiresome. Growing up, I generally associated myself with one party. Now, I'm disgruntled with both. Why? Well, because all politicians are phony. The trick, then, is to find the one that is least phony so that you can do your democratic duty by casting your vote.

So you don' t think both candidates of our major parties are phony? That's not surprising. People who tend to lean right focus on Obama's phoniness and ignore McCain's while people who lean left focus on McCain's phoniness while ignoring Obama's. Obama phony? Yes. Remember when Obama used to be against off-shore drilling because it is bad for the environment and does absolutely nothing to help out with gas prices in the short term (not that I believe that we should have short-term help with gas prices; we deserve what we get and we should pay for what we consume)? Then, Obama finds out that off-shore drilling is popular with the sorely misinformed American public, so he decides to alter his position to favor that of the popular opinion. Big surprise. Has there ever been a candidate who has publicly changed his/her opinion against popular opinion? McCain? You say? Well, maybe the McCain of ten years ago. He, too, has decided to realign himself with the loonies of his party so he can gain some more votes. Now, our former POW is for torture when he used to be against it? Our pro-choice Republican candidate is now mum on the issue, yet vows to appoint justices like Scalia and Roberts? So, sadly, McCain is a phony too.

So what is one to do when making a conscientious decision on who to vote for? I guess it all has to revert back to the individual voter's personal morals, values, and issues. It would seem that the voter would have to explore how the candidate stands on those issues and make a decision about which one will more closely represent those morals, values, and issues...of course, assuming your morals, values, and issues aren't loony themselves!! And you know what? Your morals, values, and issues are going to be different and held in different priority than somebody else's and that is very difficult if not insulting to change. What has disappointed me the most, I think, about all this election talk is people's refusal to come to terms with personal biases, judgements, prejudices, etc. How can a Democrat who has never voted Republican try to convince a Republican that Obama is the better choice over McCain, that higher taxes for a certain percentage (the top 5%) of the population can be a good thing? How can a Republican convince a Democrat that health care is not a right but something that every individual must take care of personally? So, really, do we have to go around and around all the time? Just cast your vote darn it. If you've always voted Republican and you tend to lean conservative, then vote for McCain/Palin and sleep well at night thank you very much. If you've always voted Democrat and you tend to lean liberal, then vote for Obama/Biden and God bless us everyone. But, for the love of the Lord, please stop trying to justify your decision or pretend that you're an Independent. Just say, I voted Republican because I believe in small government (because I fear big government...I can rack up just as much debt as any politician), I want to protect baby life (but go ahead and kill the criminals and the scum who can't afford health insurance), and I believe marriage should be protected (against those darn gays who should be shipped off somewhere over the rainbow...I fear them too). Or you can say, I voted Democrat because I believe in big government (who else to better send money too? Sally Struthers? Please...), I want to protect a women's right to choose (I still don't see how conservatives tend to be for small government yet want to involve themselves in this one...will someone please explain this to me like I'm five years old??!!), I believe the term "pro-life" extends beyond just unborn babies and should include the poor, the uninsured, the criminals, the infirm, etc. etc., and I believe that people should be allowed to decide who they choose to live with and who they choose to kick out of their beds (let God deal with them themselves, thank you very much...when the heck did we assume the right to judge? Before or after we were caught cheating on our cancer-ridden wife with a wanna be film maker?)

I guess this all gets back to the formation of relationships, and political hobnobbing is not good for that, unless you are in the company of those that are politically like-minded. This week, I have seen colleagues leave lunch tables over a subject where both were myopic in their arguments; I have seen a good friend of mine let a terrible logical fallacy involving age and taxes let fly just because the person who questioned her was 20 years her junior; I have had my stomach turned with a man I consider a close friend because he could not admit that Michelle Obama is an impressive woman. And, by the way, she is. So is there a common ground for Republicans and Democrats to civilly talk about politics and walk away from the table having better formed relationships with their counterparts? Sadly, I think not. The debates are too heated; the talking points too ingrained in our head. It just seems impossible for either a Republican or a Democrat to break out of their mindset and recognize the fact that both candidates are flawed. Both have too much pride to give over one point to the other party. So, my friends, nationally - we have reached a stalemate. So, in the interest of keeping the relationships we've formed, I say cast your vote and keep your mouth shut...unless of course you like a good fight or you are in good company.