Presidential Politics – Is it what we want it to be?

 

There has been a lot made – rightly so – of the current race to elect a president here in the USA. More here, than anyplace else, one can say that as our fortunes go, so follows the rest of the world. One can claim that to be elitist to a degree, but it is also a truism. We are the economic hub of the world (although, that is not a guaranteed position at this tenuous time in our economic history),the entertainment capitol (with Bollywood a close second, it would seem), and the largest and most powerful military presence (a status that has been severely abused in the last two 60 years). With this in mind, it could be a truism that whoever is elected to the presidency has a larger impact on the planet than any other world leader…and also, a greater responsibility.

No matter what side of the political spectrum you might place yourself, it’s pretty obvious that the current occupant of the White House, President Bush, might go down as one of the worst (if not THE worst) American president in history; this is a situation that cries out for change of any sort, even if that change is miniscule of cosmetic. Can we really say that the current crop of potentiates (senators Clinton, McCain and Obama) are offering us anything new and refreshing…or are they simply members to the ruling cadre, placed to win in order to maintain the status quo?

A lot of feverent supporters can be seen on the newscasts, cheering on (and sometimes chanting monotonously in an eerie, call and response fashion) their favorite candidate, as if in a sporting event or overgrown pep rally. But are the folks in the stands with the bovine glaze over their eyes and the words “ardent follower” tattooed on their forehead a true representation of the public, or simply political patsies who will rally for their party regardless of the candidate (or perhaps, newcomers to the political process with stars in their eyes)?

I’ve seen quite a few ‘man on the street’ interviews (as well as listened to a fair share of talk radio) and what I hear give me room for pause. Very few of the people interviewed talk about issues, solutions, problems, policies or voting records. Most often one hears, when the reply is given to the question of why someone is supporting a candidate, superficial replies that should make us blush over the obvious ineptitude of our voting public. It seemingly all comes down to “cause she’s a woman”, “cause he’s black” , or “cause we can’t let Hillary win”.

Voting for Clinton on the basis of gender? I doubt many of her supporters know much about her senatorial voting record, the various scandals she has been involved in, her avoidance (loathing?) of the press (something her supporters seem to despise about Bush, bit overlook in her case), her incessant flip flopping, and the lies she told about her stance on the war in Iraq (her husband was the PRESIDENT…isn’t it reasonable to think that he retained a great many contacts in the intelligence community that she is privy to as well. And if she didn’t use them, then she’s not presidential caliber in my opinion).

Voting for Obama on the basis of race? What if there was a large group of people that went around chiming that they wanted to vote for, say, Dennis Kucinich (only an example…I actually like some of his policy ideas, and some of his voting record as well) because he was white? Methinks that those theoretical supporters would be branded (rightly so, perhaps) as racist…with the same branding being applied to the candidate as well. And, again, I highly doubt that many folks who have been bandying about this racist sentiment have checked out Obama’s voting record. I have, which only confirms that (for the most part) he simply has voted along his party lines…so much for the big changes that he has promised.

Then there’s folks out there who actually claim that they’re going to vote McCain simply to keep Clinton out of office. These people are Morons (capitol M intended), and deserve no further mention.

And those who vote for a party, regardless of candidate, are not doing their homework, and simplifying a decision that should hold a great deal more weight than an offhanded checkmark in the red or blue box.

What I think, though, is that most Americans (you know, the ones that you don’t see waving signs or fainting in the background of various staged political events) don’t fall into any of the above categories that I’ve noted. I think we fall (for the most part) into three camps: 1 – people who are disillusioned with the process and the two party system that has been leveled against us and are doing what we can to rally against it; 2 – people who don’t have the time, ability, inclination or knowhow to do their political homework (or are trusting of what the mass media tells ‘em); 3 – people who don’t give a damn either way because they feel disenfranchised or don’t realize the magnitude of their vote.

Do I have a readymade solution to curtail this apparent problem…nope, just an observance with a side order of rant-lite. But if you got to the end of this column and you’re angry at what I wrote, think about this for a full two minutes: are you really REALLY all that enthused about who you’re planning to vote for? Nah, I didn’t think so…and neither am I.