2008 Election

The older I get, the more I live and breathe politics. I've given up on trivial things like if the kids had too much ice cream after dinner. I have become Jane Doe at Anytown, USA's Town Hall Meeting with my constant rants such as "How are we going to get health care, and pay for the kids' college?" No wonder old people sludge through rain with canes and walkers to vote. They have had a lifetime of issues to rally behind. Giving a darn about who becomes president has become my life's obsession. People have asked me why I give a hoot about politics. "How can you not?" is my answer. If you are not informed and don't research things, idiots could be left in control to make decisions for you. You have to care.

Eight years ago, I lived in San Francisco and voted Democratic like I always had. But I had no serious concerns or issues, other than having "my guy" win. I had yet to become a supporter of public education, and was not an avowed environmentalist (too bad because if Gore had won, serious green headway could have been made). The race only became interesting to me after a winner couldn't be declared. Then, I was looking to win, and bloody the other side. I cared, but for the wrong reasons.

Four years ago I had children, and Bush was in office. That was a powerful prod to get me out to the voting booth. No Child Left Behind was a failure, and it was evident the Iraq War had become a political hot potato. I was sure the rest of the country felt that way, too. What a shock to know that over 50% of the country still supported an inept and dangerous leader. The day after the election, England's Daily Mirror had the most fantastic headline I had ever, and probably will ever see. " How can 59,054,087 People Be So DUMB". Dumb they may be, but did all those 59,054,087 people go into that booth with political passion? Or was it a vote for their team? There is a difference.


It won't shock me if tonight doesn't go my way. I don't know if twenty-somethings know how high the stakes are now. And does an eighteen-year old think about saving Social Security? I didn't in 2000. But the initial signs look good. A lot can be said for seeing people in Virginia standing out in the rain for 2 hours, waiting to vote. If people put as much energy into studying candidates, policies, and agendas as they do in picking out a new car, we will have come a long way in the last eight years.

I have neighbors with a McCain/Palin sign in their yard. Hubby and a friend have felt the need to tell me not to touch it. But I never would. Because obviously my neighbors are impassioned enough to fly their color. We've got to assume they've taken stock and have made the choice they believe is best for themselves and the country. Whether their yard flag be red, or blue, it doesn't matter. Do they really care? I have to believe they do.