Politics! Politics! Politics! Politics! Politics!
"Yes! The Roman Senate. The Roman Senate is the best legislature that money can buy! Corruption starts in the streets with the little peddlers, they bribe the assembly man, the assembly man bribes the counsel man, the counsel man bribes the Senator, and the Senator bribes the... it goes all the way up to the Emperor!"
Why am I quoting Mel Brooks in one of my favorite movies of all time? Because I'm seriously rethinking things about politics and the way I've been voting over the years. On top of all the things the Bush Administration has done over these past 8 years (which I won't go into detail over, since we all know what's been going on), I heard today that Bush wants to modify the Endangered Species Act. You can see the full article here:
Bush's Endangered Species Act Policy
Now, I've been keeping a close eye on these new candidates for presidency. Why? Because the Bush Admin. has really (and I mean REALLY) made me question what it means to be a Republican. My parents were Republicans, and so when I registered to vote, that's what I've been registering as. Being Christian as I am, they do have the policies I favor, such as pro-life. However, as Bush is painted in a more and more negative light (FISA Bill, anyone??), it's made me wonder if I even want to be a Republican anymore. Do I even know what "being Republican" means?
Is my president off his rocker giving my party a bad name? Or is it my party's beliefs that's giving me the heebie jeebies?
You see, I rarely talk about politics. But the more I hear about policies Bush puts in place that I do not agree with (modifying the Endangered Species Act, for example), the more I've got to wonder if the Republican Party is not for me. I find myself more into protecting the environment, and have recently been making the effort to recycle as much of our trash as we can. I'm not a big supporter of the death penalty, and I do wonder if we should have more gun control laws in place (which would make Chuck Heston turn in his grave). However, I'm still not a proponent for abortion and I do believe marriage should be man/woman, BUT, I don't necessarily care what the gay community does. If they get married, it doesn't affect me or my children, really. I might not agree with it, but I won't stop them.
Okay. So I'm not sure if I want to be a Republican, however, I don't think I'm a Democrat either. Is there something in the middle? I know there's the Independents and the Libertarians... Perhaps I should read up on those.
But the actions of our President has made me seriously rethink how I think about political things. Never again do I want to vote blindly, trusting that the "Republican guy" knows best how to lead, whether it be my country, my state, or my city. In fact, I'm not that jazzed about McCain, in all honesty. I might not agree with everything Obama says, but this might just be the first presidential vote where I vote for the other party. You can bet I'm going to be glued to the upcoming debates.
But surely I can't be the only one who's confused about their party, or at least wants to do some research into other options. I haven't been answering those political calls, because no, my candidate can't count on me for the vote.
I've noticed many of my Christian friends, both online and in real life also feel this way, and also voting Obama in November.
If these past 8 years have taught this country anything, it's that voters no longer want their vote to be defined by their party any longer, especially when an unpopular Republican president keeps making unpopular laws/decisions/vetoes. Not that the presidency should be a popularity contest, but heck, when the planet is going down the crapper with global warming and consumers are bitching about high gas prices, you don't modify laws that could potentially put endangered animals at risk and you don't try to scramble the ol' offshore drilling. Perhaps it's finally time to research alternate fuels.
We need a change something fierce. I have a feeling most people don't care who wins the election, they'll just be damn happy it won't be Bush.
~~Becka
posted by Becka @ 8:21 PM
4 Comments:
Becka, I agree, agree, agree with you! I'm also a registered republican. I used to be registered as an Independent because I thought that meant I wasn't aligned to a party (Democrat or Republican). However, I then discovered that candidates running for the independent party are pretty odd and out there in many cases. So, I'm, again, registered Republican. Bush has garnered the disrespect of countless Americans and world leaders. In my eyes and opinion, he has done/is doing a shameful and embarassing job of representing the people of the United States. McCain seems to be parroting Bush's "ideals" and I refuse to cast my vote for him just because he is a Republican. I am very much leaning towards casting my vote for Obama - I agree with far more of his plans for the U.S., he can actually intelligently articulate his ideas and goals, and he's already moved towards making a positive impression on other world leaders. I know as a voter, I'll never find a candidate that I agree with everything on; but I agree with the major world issues, health issues, etc. with Obama and, right now, pending any major downsides coming up during the debates, Obama has my "Republican" vote.
You know, I think some of the reason Obama is so popular is because he's an excellent speaker.
After 8 years of flubbed speeches and "what'd he just say??" comical moments, having a candidate that can actually articulate what he's trying to get across seems pretty gosh darn amazing.
Even McCain isn't as "good" a speaker as Obama.
It's like a reminder that no, America isn't full of morons after all. This Obama guy is pretty darn cool!
He's young, fairly good-looking, and just plain likeable. You kinda want to sit down and chat with the guy, maybe invite him over for dinner. And seeing him with his kids is very endearing.
After all the stuffiness in the White House, we need a prez who's into "fist bumps" and EMAIL and these fancy Interwebs... :P
We need someone hip, cool, articulate, and likeable. Obama is all of that, which makes him much more personable than his opposition, or the current president, for that matter.
~~Becka
been here , done this. i actually changed parties this year because i wanted to experience a caucus with the democrat folk and i wanted hillary out of there.
i have to say that i don't know that either party really has the answers and neither does either of the men of the hour but i do believe obama when he says that he entered this race, at this time, for a reason and that is to see real change in politics.
you would not believe the emails and conversations i have had because of casting my vote that way and it has just made me sick that people would just automatically vote for the other guy just because they are on the Christian Republican team. it is so blind and off and scary that we would vote for anyone without really investigating things a bit further.
i do agree with you that obama is very good speaker. i got to hear him live and that is when he won my vote. although, i honestly don't think that that is all he has going for him.
i too will be paying very close attention how he handles himself in the upcoming months but so far so good. the adds here that are running on tv are already in his favor. i just hate when the candidates bad mouth their a opponents in any way and so far i am still in favor of obama if for no other reason than that he has yet to bad mouth mccain.
I don't know how anyone who is a Christian can stand with today's Republican party. Just get out there and read what they are doing to people. You can see it on the ACLU Blog of rights. I'll quote from today's post:
Birt testified that the types of abuse Jawad told her he suffered—being forced to stand for long periods of time in stress positions; forced sleep deprivation; being hit, kicked and beaten; being shackled to the door of his cell; and being hooded and shackled with hand irons, leg irons and a waist chain while moved and in one case pushed down the stairs—mirrored other Bagram detainees’ claims. She also said that Jawad’s claim that he heard the cries and screams of other detainees was a “fairly common” claim of other prisoners locked in isolation who heard other prisoners “crying for their parents and begging for the beatings to stop” during interrogations nearby.
If you believe--really believe--in the Sermon on the Mount, can you stand for that? Can you stand with a party that has consistently stood by an administration that tortures people? I can't. I won't. That isn't what being an American means to me.
You can follow Glenn Greenwald's excellent blog on Salon. Information about what the administration has been doing is out there. Information about how the GOP has prevented votes and helped the administration stonewall Congressional investigations is out there. It's intolerable.
I agree with you, Becka. I'm pro life. I'm ambivilant about gay marriage. But those issues are small potatoes compared to whether it's ok to torture people in the name of the US. They are small potatoes compared to a $10 trillion debt driven sky high by the people who pretended to be the party that could balance the budget.
The Democratic party might not be my first choice, but I'll take them over what the GOP has become. Frankly, the GOP just needs to die and be reborn as something else. I don't think they'll ever be able to wash away the stain of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home