Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Election day navel gazing...

I have to wonder how different this country would be if everyone that went to vote had to actually name the person for whom they are voting. It sounds absurd, but many people vote for the party, not the person. I can name three people right now who would vote for anyone in the Republican seat, just so the Republicans could beat the Democrats.

Taking this a step further, how different would the country be if everyone that went to vote had to name 3 of the campaign promises of the person for whom they are voting? Can you?

When you go vote today, are you voting for the person or the party? The suit the candidate wears or his or her ability to affect positive change in your surroundings? The deity the candidate flaunts in every campaign ad or the guy's history of voting for things you believe in?

If you can't do the above - if you can't name the person for whom you're voting or name at least 3 of the promises said person has made, don't vote because your vote doesn't count on anything more than a superficial level. I'm not voting today. I haven't done any research into the candidates, so I'm not going to go vote just to say that I did.

13 comments:

mayberry said...

You know, you don't have to vote for everybody on the ballot. If you know enough about certain candidates, then you should at least cast your vote in those races. Local elections are so much more important than national. I know you have strong opinions and if people like us don't cast at least a semi-informed vote, we are leaving the deciding of our public offices to the morons of the world. I would urge you to cast your ballot. That's just me.

Susan said...

I was having a similar conversation yesterday. I went online to print off a sample ballot for my precinct just to make sure I knew what I was facing today and so I could do a little research on any races I wasn't familiar with. My motivation to vote today comes from strong feelings about one race, but I want to make sure I'm educated on the others!

I also commented this morning about the campaign workers holding signs along the street on the way to work. I wanted to stop and ask some of them to tell me who they were campaigning for, what office, and one thing on that person's platform. I was willing to bet many of them couldn't.

Supermom said...

While I was blow drying my hair this morning the news was playing a clip of a speech from Ron Paul. It stayed on a fairly long time which told me it was newsworthy. But alas, the deafening hair dryer made me miss it.

Any idea what that was about?

And I hate it when I see these messages telling folks to vote no matter what. I've always said if you ain't an educated voter (meaning in the know) DO NOT VOTE!

That's as stupid as picking a favorite football team based on the color of their jerseys.

BB said...

i agree with mayberry. if you know something about someone, then cast your vote. if you don't know, then leave them blank or write in pedro! :)

From the Doghouse said...

I voted for people in both parties and also one independent. I also studied my voter guide before voting.

Naming campaign promises would be easy, since almost everybody uses the same promises, no matter the political race or the party.

Jennifer said...

Andy and I just had this same conversation yesterday, driving around town (we were noticing all of the political signs lining every inch of the road). We were complaining about how many people vote without even "knowing" who they're voting for. I, personally believe MOST people don't "know" who they're voting for...BLAH! So sad for all of us. Good post!

PS) How 'bout that Ron Paul fundraising!!!! Woo Hoo!!

Supermom said...

I think Hopeium just answered my question on the other blog

Stacey said...

Supermom - his supporters did this thing yesterday called a "money bomb." There was some significance to the date, but you'd have to ask my husband. He raised over 3 million dollars, I'm not quite sure exactly how much, but that's more than Mitt Romney has raised in a single day. The only people that have him beaten in single-day fundraising are Obama and Clinton, and those were the days they announced their candidacy.

Ron Paul is the best candidate, and he has the best supporters. I'm proud to be a part of this group.

The DP said...

i also think people should know what their districts are and who their current elected officials are, even at the city/county level. I am an expat and I can still tell you about politics in the county where I am registered.

Sharon said...

I didn't vote, and that's because I wasn't knowledgeable enough on the candidates. I would hate to do the injustice of voting for someone, then later learning I didn't agree or approve of what they say they believe in and will do while in office.

AM said...

I voted for what I knew..and in areas I didn't agree with either...I didn't vote...

Sharon said...

Hey, slightly off topic, but have you ever seen this blog?

http://catholicsforronpaul.blogspot.com/

If I knew how to enclose it, I would've. Sorry!

Webmaster said...

the downside of working in the media is that it's your job to keep up with who all these people are, what promises they make AND what they're wearing and who does their hair.

Yeah, I vote.