+Joys of Democracy

I feel dirty. Yes, I just voted.

I have rarely felt so conflicted over an election. And, mind you, this is even given the fact that I don’t watch TV! (I did see part of one of the debates at someone else’s house.)

Last time, I voted for Bush simply because he wasn’t Gore. I had no hopes at all that he would be an effective president. As my friend Wayland puts it, “If he can’t run a savings and loan, how is he supposed to run the country?” 🙂 After 9/11, for a few weeks and months I was intensely glad he was president. I thought he did a great job. Afghanistan was, at least at first, well handled.

But then he THREW IT ALL AWAY! He made a horrible hash of our foreign policy, needlessly alienating many of our allies. (Mind you, that doesn’t mean I approve of their behavior either. The French, in particular, were despicable. The idea of lecturing us over international legitimacy after their repeated African adventurism! Algeria was NOT a pretty war…)

The Patriot Act got more disturbing the more I learned about it – and I notice that Justice keeps on touting the way it helps them deal with non-terrorist criminals. And then we had the whole Iraq business.

I’m glad Hussein is gone. He was a murderous bastard. But the simple fact is that our President pushed hard for this war for reasons that just haven’t panned out. I don’t believe those who assert it was all an evil plot from the beginning, all lies. But the idea that it was just plain incompetence isn’t much more appealing! And I’m not clear on just how invading Iraq is making our nation safer. It was Al Qaeda that attacked us!

In short, voting for Bush is morally unacceptable to me. But Kerry’s no better; if anything, he’s worse. As a good Democrat, of course he’s solidly pro-death despite his “personal opposition”. (Peter Kreeft nails it when he compares such politicians to Pontius Pilate. “Well, I’m personally opposed to crucifying him, but…”) His pandering on his supposed “Catholic” identity gets my hackles up in a big way, too. But even more than all that, the man sets off my BS detector. My gut tells me the man’s a weather vane, pure and simple – he’ll tell you anything you want to hear if it’ll get you to vote for him. So he’s out on multiple fronts.

So for the first time in my life, I sucked it up and voted for a third party candidate. This involved holding my nose regarding some of his views, which are a bit “out there”. But after considerable reflection, I decided that I could tolerate him more than I could tolerate either of the two big-party candidates. It’s hard to see how he could do any WORSE, even if elected, as the President doesn’t really have the power to do the less conventional things he wants to accomplish. And hopefully my vote will help send a message to the Powers That Be in the two bigs to start taking views like mine into account.

For Congressional candidates, things were easier. I mostly went with Republicans, with some nose-holding in places. In one case, where the Republican candidate seemed remarkably shifty in stating his views on a whole variety of subjects important to me, I went with the same third party again. (And more willingly, since this guy seemed considerably more sane than their presidential candidate.)

I do admit that I’d like to see the so-called “two party system” (which I can’t recall ever seeing in the Constitution) blown to smithereens. There isn’t a dime’s worth of real difference between Democrats and Republicans any more. They talk a good game, but when elected don’t DO much of anything to change what they say they want to change.

But it annoys me that none of the third parties out there, even the smallest, really represent me. Sometimes I fantasize about starting a Sanity Party, but I’m afraid the possible membership base out there is too small. 😛 And anyway, I’m no politician. As I wrote in a long rant-entry, politics is the art of the possible, and I’m a lousy artist in that area! I can see a number of things to do, but they are politically impossible in this country.

Gaaah. I’m just glad the whole sordid business is over for another four years. Except, oh, wait, the election will probably be tied up in courts for months, what am I thinking? 😛

El Spark

November 2, 2004

I just went with not voting at all. It feels like the coward’s way out right now, but on the other hand…I didn’t have to vote for any of them. And that was worth it.Wannabe Guardian,

Theosis

vote-smart.org has been a tremendous help to me too. Certainly gave me a lot of answers. I firmly believe that one cannot go by party affiliation or even by the political signs in a Catholic friend’s yard. Though an independent at heart, I originally registered with one party thinking that I could influence who the major party candidate would be in the general election. Now, I am almost

entirely certain that I will be changing my party status to no longer reflect a major party. In my state only the major party-registered voters vote in the primaries. So, one less agonizing experience if I go that route. Congrats on your third-party vote. With prayers,

I meant to add that I mis-read your third-party name. I thought you wanted the Sainty Party. My chuckle for the day. Good thing you and I don’t watch television, we don’t have to be drawn into the hype of analyzing and overanalyzing every moment of the returns this evening, especially when there are the absentee ballots to come in. I would think there may be quite a few to come in from the

Middle East. I guess we’ll know more on January 20, 2005.

eh I couldn’t vote this year, couldn’t make up my mind! But it’ll be interesting to see who wins for sure.

you had the courage to walk in there and vote. On a day when everyone and his sister in the media will be telling us how corrupt the system is, and how the votes of the dead have already been counted. It’s nice to know I’m not the only kerry is a weather vane person..peace pal.

I understand needing the dollars, I could just live without the attitude that the way to solve a problem is to throw money at it. I sympathize with the feeling of being tied up with red tape..

actually, I figured you and Jarrow would say that. It’s cool.

byzantium

i don’t know who i would’ve voted for. glad my choice was so much simpler.

etherius

November 3, 2004

Fortunately, it looks like the race won’t be nearly as close this time around as it was in 2000. For an official result, we’ll probably have to wait 11 days for the absentee/provisional ballots to be counted in Ohio, but on the whole things seem much less ambiguous this time around. That’s all I was really hoping for from this election.

RYN: “Postmodernism”, to me, is a school of thought that questions the practices and assumptions of Modernism. It’s about acknowledging that not everything can be known, that not everything fits into neat little orderly categories, and that “this is the way we’ve always done it” is not a valid reason for doing something. PM embraces mystical experience, supernatural encounters with divinity…

Whereas Modernism emphasizes knowledge, reason, and the black-and-white, PM is more willing to admit ignorance and to accept that there are things that transcend rationality. To my mind, it’s a more humble and more spiritually-minded philosophy than Modernism. Obviously not all PM thinkers are Christians, or even theists, but I think the PM approach has some definite value for Christianity.

loofrin

at least you voted. thanks.

November 4, 2004

ryn: i can’t remember what i meant when i wrote that exactly, but i think it had something along the lines to do with my country not being at war. not sure tho >:)

i am saddened by the way my first time voting went. Now me being a kid you feel that im an idiot, and i agree, kids are f*ckin morons, they feel they know everything, they listen to bits and pieces, and then prove on how right they really are. How wrong they are, in fact, kerry is better b/c he isnt bush. um… very astute observation. i too voted 3rd party. Badnarik got my vote, sure he is also a

opinonated canidate, but his views were more idiolistic, to what i want, to what i need. Except for the Prohibition, understandably a great idea, it would work(over time) but the kids these days get away with murder, i admit it i did my share of MANY drugs, but ive been clean for 2 years, and my peers are still doing it. ive always been more mature then anyone in my grade, from not watching T.V.

(reoccuring theme isnt it) to being a strict vegitarian since 7th grade, i try to be not as naive then my peers, or even adults. i research topics, before i open my mouth about them, which even then im still wrong at times… anyways im rambling read what i wrote on bush in my open diary. YAY for promotions, and impeachments. haha