Photo by Chuck LittleNo matter who wins the presidential election tomorrow, there are going to be a lot of disappointed people. The race for President is too close for the winner to claim a mandate which means he is going to start his term with almost half of the nation disliking him or at least discounting his ability. This hasn’t been a pleasant election. It’s been too long and too decisive. The media has taken sides. Sound bytes and political posturing haven’t reliably represented anyone. The polls have been a major annoyance. Blogs have been filled with spiteful meanness. There have been strange reasons for becoming politically involved and a plethora of ridiculous promises the president alone can’t deliver
Change has been the buzz word with little attention paid to what kind of change is being promised and who can deliver it. The President doesn’t have as much power as most people think he does. Congress holds the purse strings and if the economy is where you’re looking for change congressional candidates are the ones that should receive our scrutiny. If the moral fiber is the change you want, you won’t get it with a further slide toward candidates who espouse an “anything goes” philosophy. If you’re concerned about protection from terrorism, then take a good look at every race; if you’re not, then welcome to the head-in-the-sand society. None of the rest of our freedoms will matter if we cease to be a sovereign nation. If you’re just sick of politics and want it all to go away or have no intention of voting, you just might get your wish; the change you’ll get will be a loss of choice.
The challenge will begin as we come to terms with the results of tomorrow’s actions. We can blindly support our new President and whatever changes Congress pushes our way. We can pout and sulk and refuse to acknowledge him. We can shrug our shoulders and go along with whatever our politically activist media tells us is good for us. Or we can get involved; we can let our congressmen, senators, president, governors, commissioners, mayors, and school boards know when they get it right and when they don’t. Our freedom and who we are as a nation doesn't begin and end in Washington, D.C. A republican form of government doesn’t mean we elect representatives, then bow out of the picture until the next campaign rolls around. Our representatives can’t represent us unless we let them know our views. It’s time to stop allowing a few vocal activists, parties, bloggers, newspapers, unions, or other groups to drown out our voices and make our decisions.
Whoever wins the election tomorrow deserves to be given a chance. We have a responsibility to respect the office whether we endorse the occupant or not. Respect doesn’t mean becoming a nation of yes men, but it does mean granting those with whom we disagree the right to express their views, courteous language, and the same consideration we expect to be granted to us. Let’s start by making our voices heard at the polls tomorrow.
Change has been the buzz word with little attention paid to what kind of change is being promised and who can deliver it. The President doesn’t have as much power as most people think he does. Congress holds the purse strings and if the economy is where you’re looking for change congressional candidates are the ones that should receive our scrutiny. If the moral fiber is the change you want, you won’t get it with a further slide toward candidates who espouse an “anything goes” philosophy. If you’re concerned about protection from terrorism, then take a good look at every race; if you’re not, then welcome to the head-in-the-sand society. None of the rest of our freedoms will matter if we cease to be a sovereign nation. If you’re just sick of politics and want it all to go away or have no intention of voting, you just might get your wish; the change you’ll get will be a loss of choice.
The challenge will begin as we come to terms with the results of tomorrow’s actions. We can blindly support our new President and whatever changes Congress pushes our way. We can pout and sulk and refuse to acknowledge him. We can shrug our shoulders and go along with whatever our politically activist media tells us is good for us. Or we can get involved; we can let our congressmen, senators, president, governors, commissioners, mayors, and school boards know when they get it right and when they don’t. Our freedom and who we are as a nation doesn't begin and end in Washington, D.C. A republican form of government doesn’t mean we elect representatives, then bow out of the picture until the next campaign rolls around. Our representatives can’t represent us unless we let them know our views. It’s time to stop allowing a few vocal activists, parties, bloggers, newspapers, unions, or other groups to drown out our voices and make our decisions.
Whoever wins the election tomorrow deserves to be given a chance. We have a responsibility to respect the office whether we endorse the occupant or not. Respect doesn’t mean becoming a nation of yes men, but it does mean granting those with whom we disagree the right to express their views, courteous language, and the same consideration we expect to be granted to us. Let’s start by making our voices heard at the polls tomorrow.
2 comments:
Jennie, you are so wise. Thanks for such a dead-on post. I'm off to the polls this afternoon.
Hear, hear, Jennie.
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