Election Talk

This is something that I rarely do, that is talk politics.
My bit lately is that I am a political atheist.
It is kind of funny, to me anyway.

See, most of the political rhetoric just gives me tired head*. I do not like it, I do not believe most of it and I do not enjoy talking about it. The odd thing is though I get so drawn in on presidential election night. I think it has something to do with the maps and all. I had an election game on the Commodore 64 too that I enjoyed so maybe it is that nostalgia as well. I find it intriguing that I can be so hooked one night every four years and so out on it every other day. That probably does not make me the best of Americans but it is who I am for now.

So let me share what I see and why I find it interesting.

Watching MSNBC tonight and seeing the map and projected maps of tonight with those of 2000 was interesting. It seems to be very little change from one election to another. All this campaigning and all this money spent and we are right back where we were. This tells me that as a nation we really do not like much change. We must like things the way they are. How often does an incumbent really get voted out? I hear a lot of talk of wanting new blood in offices on the national or local level but it seems to rarely happen. Vote out this guy not my guy type of thing. Living in a society were we all seem to want the latest and greatest as consumers we like our politics to stand pat. Very odd.

It makes me wonder where this comes from. For me I know I really do not like politics. I choose more often than not to withhold my vote than to vote for someone I feel is mediocre. This is precisely how I felt about both Bush and Kerry. They are mediocre. How can I get behind that? Answer I can't. I did not vote for either one. I feel it is as much my right as it is anyone else's to vote for them. I did not vote for Bush or Gore in 2000 for the same reason. The last presidential candidate I voted for was Perot. Maybe that was more of a bit than a real feeling but I just identified with him more than anyone else. I thought the first Bush was mediocre and I thought Clinton was too much a salesman. Perot seemed more interested in getting things done than being the PR guy. I have felt for years the president should be two people, one to get stuff done and one to do the PR.

Speaking of Public Relations I do feel that is the key to get people to vote for change. I heard it said tonight that the reason Clinton won the first time was he carried some of the southern states along the Mississippi river that tradtionaly vote Republican. I think being from the south certainly helped but his charisma helped even more. People will follow charisma. People will get excited about charisma. People love it. Why else would Hollywood and professional athletics be so popular? People, especially in this country, have to be following someone or something that is charismatic to decide as a collective to change. I guess that is the mob mentality.

So what governs that mob? What makes that mob so steadfast in the face of dull candidates? Looking at the map of 2000 and the projections of 2004 one thing is definitely clear. Take the areas of the Jet setting Los Angeles, New York and Chicago and you have the democratic votes. Take the rest of more rural US and you have republican votes. I always thought republicans were the rich guys and democrats the poor. This map does not look like that to me. Of course a self proclaimed political atheist as I am, what do I know.

I listened closely tonight and the most interesting thing to me was the moral or faith idea. MSNBC's Brian Williams spoke of 21% of voters in some exit polls stating that morals played the biggest factor in their presidential decision. Morals is a very vague term isn't it? What can be moral to me might not be moral at all to you. They seemed to equate morals to faith. Faith, now that makes some sense. I am not much for religion but I believe in faith. I feel for the most part the human psyche can not do without it. Most people need to believe in something bigger than themselves or this world or this life. I think that is understandable. How would we all react if we were all told undoubtedly that this life was it, that there was nothing more. I think we would have a lot of depressed and potentially insane people. Or... maybe most would just not accept it. They would just not believe for their faith was bigger than proof. That is what makes faith, faith after all.. right?

Twenty one percent said morals (or faith) was the biggest factor. MSNBC said that of those who said that was the case voted overwhelmingly for Bush. Why? Doesn't Kerry go to church? Well Bush is Republican. Republicans are conservative. Most people who have faith follow a religion and what is more conservative than religion. How many wars are fought in holy names because someone does not believe the right way? Could a religion be liberal? Good question.

Our forefathers came here to create a country where there would be religious freedom. There is always the topic of the separation of church and state. We are all free to pray or not to pray to whatever god or deity we choose. We are all free to vote for our elected officials who will govern our land where we have these freedoms. We are all also free to have one affect the other. I find that most intriguing and to make sense in a very human way. What drives us to be who we are and to think how we do each day more, our politics or our faith? Is it a candidate giving us promises or something more giving us hope? I too would choose hope. Hope is a great thing, maybe the best of things**.




other notes
* tired head is a BAD Radio and Ticket saying I have borrowed... check the links on the side.
** taken from the movie Shawshank Redemption with much respect.
*** thirdly to be a guy... MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell has a cute smile along with providing good news coverage. Always refreshing to me to see an news person, especially female to smile every once in a while. Not too much.. just a bit.