Those who know me know that I dislike conflict. I veer from the dramatic. It's boring occasionally, but that's the way I am. So much so, that I don't even like discussing politics... and I live in bloody DC.
But today, I sent in my registration and my absentee ballot application. I'll be getting back a ballot soon, and then I'll vote. Sure, in Massachusetts, the winner of its 12 electoral votes is a foregone conclusion. I joke that my vote won't matter. Of course it matters. It's just a joke (albeit stemming from the bitter reality that North Carolina -- NORTH CAROLINA where I've suffered for 3 years WILL most definitely matter).
Then I came across this article today via RealClearPolitics (the best summary website of political news out there), coming from the editors of The New Yorker. I happen to hate it when the media gives its opinion about anything, or speculates about what could happen with a bailout, instead of just reporting what happened. But the New Yorker I guess isn't really news, and never purports to be. It's mostly a literary magazine, and a snotty one at that. (I also hate it when celebrities stump for political causes. To be clear, I much prefer the infinitely saavier Brangelina approach of: "if you're going to invade my privacy anyway, i'm going to fly to Africa and make you see what's going on in the world").
I started reading the opinion , because I had a slow morning... and I kept reading... and kept reading. And ultimately, I found myself agreeing with everything in it. It perfectly encapsulates the anger, and desperation, and hope that I have about this election. I don't usually do this, but yeah, I'm making my vote known.
The piece is obviously an endorsement. It's by no means an objective article. But it does at the same time suggest how awesome things could have been under a McCain presidency. There was a time where I would have followed that man. Where "maverick" wasn't just a cutesy political term, but an actual description of someone who was well aware of his duty to his constituents, and not his party. But he has changed. He's pandered to those who shunned him in elections past. And his pandering is way more frightening than Obama's (Barack's kidding no one, he's a politician, too).
It's no mistake--as momentarily startled as I was--that I apparently registered as a Republican the first time I voted in Massachusetts. Yup, I called up my town clerk to check to see if they had my info on file (I've since registered and voted in other states like New York and North Carolina), and there I was -- a Republican. (Don't freak out... a Massachusetts Republican is still a socialist everywhere else in this country. And, I changed immediately changed it back to good ol' "Unenrolled" in case you're wondering.)
Here's my scatter-brained point. Eight years ago, George Bush was elected president. I accepted that. I didn't vote for him, but he was still my president. Thing was, he forgot that. Bush forgot that you don't just become president of the people who voted for you. The losers aren't supposed to lose. Except we did. And, in fact, so did the "winners." And so the fact that after eight years of one of the worst presidencies in history (seriously, click that link and remind yourself of just how quickly the U.S. lost its international capital), the election is as close as it is is fucked up. It's fucked up.
We missed our chance at a true McCain administration. We won't get it even if he's elected. So, yeah, that vote of mine that won't matter? I can only hope that it doesn't.
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