I am voting tomorrow. I have never missed an election. It is my right, my responsibility, and my duty as an American citizen to cast a vote. If I do not, whether through negligence, apathy, or ignorance, I give up my voice and the right to complain.
I believe it to be a great responsibility. This year is not easy. I am disappointed in my president. It's not the economy, although that sucks. President Obama entered office with many, many problems facing him. The economy was still on a downswing. We were involved in two wars. While the growing debt concerns me, and there has not been great recovery, I don't believe anyone could have "fixed" the problems in the past four years. Furthermore, America's economy is just a part of the world economy, and I can't imagine one will be fixed without the other.
No, I am disappointed in other things.
In his first campaign President Obama told our nation there were a lot of problems. He said they would take a long time to fix, and we couldn't fix them all at once. He was right. Of course once in the presidency (or any public office), the run for the next election begins almost immediately. Media talks about the "First 100 Days." There are interests to be appeased. But President Obama was right in his campaign, and he should have stuck to his guns.
I am disappointed in his foreign policy. Too often he seems to emit the attitude that if we, read nations, could all just sit down and talk, we could work out our problems. As a student of history and sociology, I have never seen this to be true. Rogue nations are just that. Perhaps he is right. If we could sit down together, maybe we could solve problems, but when we can even agree on the shape of the table, or where to sit, how can we talk? President Obama has all too often seemed to toss a carrot to our enemies while ignoring our friends. This is a time to solidify our allied relationships.
Finally, although connected to the piece above, I am disappointed in the stance on Israel. How many times must Israel give in, pushed by the US, to halts on construction or other concessions? When have the Palestinians met their end of the bargain? Lines drawn in the sand, green or otherwise, are arbitrary, and certainly have no meaning when the other side continues to call for Israel's destruction. We can't just sit down and work it all out. We've been there before. Rockets continue to fly at Israel's population. How do you talk with someone who wants your total destruction?
On the other hand, I look at the baggage that comes with the Republican party. It is not a party for which I can vote. I cannot accept the wholesale wiping out of assistance programs. Planned Parenthood is not only about birth control and abortions. They are about women's health, men's health too! Through my university and grad years, that's where I found my doctor. As I moved from Boston to home to LA to home to NYC, I didn't need to worry about finding a doctor. I had insurance. I could pay. But as a transient student, I needed the flexibility Planned Parenthood provided. Their staff was trained to work with young women and men to put them at ease so we can ask the questions we need to our doctors. And yes, my parents knew I went there.
I am also an idealist. Part of me wants President Obama to be elected so no one can say that his election was a fluke. It was high time a person of color took that oath, and I'd never want anyone to have a way to deny that.
So what will I do? This year I'm voting for Sean. I have the blessing of voting in NY. NY will go for President Obama. While every vote counts, my protest vote will not skew an election. Unlike a swing state, it will not create the danger of electing the party that scares me more.
Still, shouldn't this be about choosing a great candidate, rather than fear of giving certain people power? I believe that President Obama is a good man. So is Governor Romney. But somewhere in the past decade or two our party system has lost its way. It's now more about the power than the principle. May they all find that way home soon.
G'night, God bless, and vote!
No comments:
Post a Comment