Out of the three presidential elections I have voted in, this year I really tried to educate myself. Okay, I didn't read books about it, or research anything (who has time for that), but I watched all the debates and post debate shows and kept MSNBC and CNN as background noise during a lot of days. All in all I would bet that I am 'average' as far as political knowledge (pathetic), but really still feel uneducated about the whole process.
I did, however, as a citizen of this country, go cast my vote for who I felt was the most presidential candidate. Although my kids did not sing a "Go Obama" song like my nieces (not sure how I can link to that), or hang a G-O-B-A-M-A sign from the window (so cute); Schuyler voted at school (“for the guy with the white hair”), and we have tried to educate her on what a historical day it was. Graydon came with me to vote (for the guy with the dark hair). I really liked how Schuyler used hair color instead of skin color as a differentiator. I feel the same. I don't see him as the first black president, I see him as a inspiring, captivating leader who has the potential to get this country on the right track. I fell asleep during McCain’s concession speech (no wonder), and woke up later to catch the middle and the end of Obama’s speech. I fell asleep again with reassurance in my vote, and our country, and was not surprised in the least at how powerful his speech was.
My question though, is it better to cast an uneducated vote or no vote at all? Annually in corporate america you are required to complete ongoing education in topics such as ethics or privacy/security. Why don't we have to complete ongoing education to stay a registered voter of this country? Every four years we should have to understand the structure of our government, politics 101, and an unbiased overview of the candidates (at a minimum). What is the point anyway? Doesn't the Electoral College ultimately decide who the next president is? Delegates, caucuses, precincts, districts, incumbents, electoral colleges...... am I the only one that gets confused?
1 comment:
Yes, it is confusing, but yes, everyone should still vote. It would be nice if: the system was simplified, reliable educational information was provided, election day was a national holiday and voting was mandatory. But ... everybody gets to vote: that's America! :-)
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