bryan and i are probably just about the most disconnected people on the world. we don't watch the news. we don't read the news. i am only vaguely aware that the primaries are going on; if we were still at the farmhouse, i think i wouldn't be aware of it at all.
every other day, on the way home from work, i see Ron Paul supporters campaigning on the corner near the goodwill. i envy them--i've never been so excited about a candidate as to wave signs at people in passing cars. i've never even really Liked a candidate. i've been rather apathetic about politics from the get go.
because in my heart i believe all politicians are skunks and liars and dirty-cheats. and, at best, puppets to the big-money corporations that truly run america (walmart, for example.)
so this year i again face such puzzling dilemmas....
am i republican because i'm from an upper-middle-class family that worked its way up from poverty? and because i'm white and christian and because my dad votes republican?
am i a democrat because i was on food stamps this past year and republicans don't care about people who don't have money? because i listen to NPR and i'm not sure if i should vote entirely based on issues of morality, since our nation isn't really (or ever was) a christian nation...
i don't know. for the most part i feel like my vote doesn't matter.
We're probably opposites in this area...for some reason, I really enjoy following politics. I think it goes back to my debate club days. (?) Ever since I was about 14, I've followed elections and current events. I don't think I'm very normal or representative of most 25-year-old women though.
ReplyDeleteI understand your dilemma. I've always thought Obamacare was a terrible idea, but after we had Milo, I kept asking, "How would I feel if I really, TRULY couldn't afford health insurance? And hospitals refused to care for me?" Right now, if you walk into a hospital and you're in labor, they're required by law to take care of you and that's really more of a reflection of liberal policies than conservative. And, if I really needed the help, I would want that. I wouldn't want there to be a question of "Should we treat this woman who is in labor right now...?"
The one thing I feel VERY strongly about is that I'm pro-life and I CAN'T vote for somebody who isn't; that's why I can't get behind most Democrats.
I do know what you mean about feeling like your vote doesn't matter. But, of course, it does. In fact, in one of the earlier primaries this election season, Rick Santorum beat Mitt Romney by only 8 votes. A homeschool family could've been the difference in that election! (Ha!)
But I do understand these questions...
i don't think i could vote for someone who is pro-abortion either really; but if there was a democrat who was pro-life, then i think i could vote for them. i have trouble thinking about more...would i vote for a Mormon or not? they are Moral and Religious, but not Christian, but are any presidents EVER truly christian? its confusing. i probably won't vote at all.
DeleteMy personal thought is that Christianity shouldn't be legislated, so I don't know that it's a deal-breaker for me that I vote for someone who is an evangelical Christian. You don't have to vote for Mitt Romney, though; there are still other options. We like Ron Paul, for example. ;-)
DeleteI completely get this and feel similarly to you. Voting pro-life is very important for me, but even some of the Republican candidates aren't too committal when it comes to the issue, and the ones that are often don't stand a chance of being nominated. It's frustrating.
ReplyDelete