It is clearly an election year. SNL is really cranking out the political comedy, and celebrities are telling me to vote because my vote matters. This is the third election that I have actually paid attention to and it seems like our country does need change.
Let me first say that I live in Massachusetts. Probably one of the strongest Democrat states around. There is no chance that this state will end up voting Republican. Secondly let me say that I am not impressed with either canidate. I was rooting for John Edwards, he lost. Now let me express my frustration. If I wanted to vote Republican it would not happen because this state is far to Democratic to allow that to happen. If I wanted to vote Democratic I think the state will take care of itself. And there is not a strong third party nominee so that option is out. I am at a place where I actually do feel like my vote is pointless. Not because we live in a democracy. Because if you paid attention in 7th grade Government, you would know that we don't live in a Democracy. We live in a Constitutional Republic, hence the electoral college. Although the Country was founded by brilliant men there were plenty of ignorant people around for them not to trust a true democracy.
But we need change right? Here is my suggestion. And this is my suggestion becuse of how frustrated I am with the entire circus that happens every four years. Two years if you count them starting to rally support. We don't need to add anything to the process that is so much a zoo. But instead I want us to subtract from it. Now you must be thinking the electoral college. Nope I want to keep that. What I want to eliminate are two kinds of people.
1. Speech Writers. I want these guys to write their own speeches. Let them articulate their own ideas and desires for office by themselves. I didn't get someone else to write all my reports in college. Why should they? Especially considering that the President is the guy who deals with treaties abroad and declares war. Shouldn't he be able to to tell us why? Can't write a speech to a foreign diplomat, they would get maaad if you read from notes.
2. The Handlers. Now many people may not even realize that this person exists. The handler is the person who runs the election campaign and when spouses or canidates say something or do something that the speech writer didn't write. Well they help hush up that very real and natural reaction from the canidate. They sort of get them to act in a way that won't look bad when we are going to vote. They also get the canidate to act a certain way even if that isn't what the canidate is convicted to do. If you look back at the two bush campaigns you can notice something. When it was Gore, towards the end of the campaign in the debates him and Bush started to have the same opinions they wouldn't really disagree on different subjects and a similar thing happened with Kerry. Where they were once very opposing it seemed that they weren't that much different. The handler is also the person who at the very least comes up with campaign strategy "obama for change" Everyone who gets in the white house wants to change something. Noone wants to keep things the same because they want to leave their "mark". Kerry's thing that blew way out of proportion was how he served in Vietnam, and they jumped on Bush for not. Of course Kerry was kind of subject because someone forgot he threw his medals away. I don't think Kerry was the one that forgot. The smearng doesn't come from the canidates. do you think they come up with all those slogans? McCain didn't want to have a smear campaign when he started. I trust him and believe he is a man of his word. But it seems he has a slight smear campaign going on. I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Handlers are bad. We need to see how "human" the president will be. If they have a wife that has never been a proud american. Or they dodged service in a war. Whatever it is we need to see how they truly act before we ellect them and find out after the honeymoon is over that they are really an abusive drunk or a womanizing intern chaser. I still like Clinton regardless of that last remark.
I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I live in the middle. Each side has things I love and hate. This is just something both sides have that I hate.
Vote or Don't because you know that the people who want you to vote really have a canidate in mind that they imply you voting for. "barak the vote" *ahem*
Don't listen to the hype. Pay attention, research your canidate! please. If you have no idea who to vote for or you haven't been paying attention then don't vote. You have a Right to Vote not an obligation. Being an educated voter is much better than being an ignorant one. If every one was an educated voter then the right person for office would make it in. Im not saying that we would all vote the same. Far from it. We all have different things that are important. But then at least a bunch of ignorant people wouldn't put to waste all the time people put into checking the facts and numbers that canidates spew in their speeches.
I'm young and already Jaded by the system. I would love to vote but not before we lose the Speech writers and the handlers.
What will You do?
