CRANKY’s THOUGHTS ON
THE ELECTION
Posted from the parking lot of Lowes in East Brunswick, N.J.
As I write
this the election has just started. I am
in my home without power fighting to get the temperature above 60 degrees. I will try and vote later today, though I am
not positive I am registered since I moved recently from one town to
another. I have several thoughts on this
election before the final results are in.
If the
election is very close, will I hear that old argument that our President should
be chosen by popular vote? If one
candidate wins on the Electoral College and another has the popular vote there
will be much crying. I am personally in
favor of choosing a candidate based on the popular vote, but until that happens
the popular vote is meaningless. Why?
My State is
going to vote for President Obama. That
has been known for over a year. Many
people, possibly myself will not vote because they feel their vote is
meaningless as the electoral vote in New Jersey is already a sure thing for
President Obama. Campaigning is based on
the Electoral College system. States
that are assured to go to one candidate will have less get-out-the-vote
resources spent in a losing cause. There
are probably only about six states where both parties actively campaign for the
Presidential race. Claiming victory
based on popular vote is like a football team claiming victory because their
team had more offensive yards than the other team. The score is dictated by the rules. We play for Electoral College votes, not
popular vote.
My other
thought is how many votes were cast because of candidate’s positions on
abortion, women’s rights, civil rights, Gay rights and other social
issues. These are important of course; I
just do not think the eventual Presidential winner will have as great an
influence on these issues as many people think.
These issues are just incredibly complicated. For instance, are you in favor of abortion?
I don’t
think anyone thinks abortion is a good choice as a form of birth control. I also don’t think anyone wants to see unsafe
back alley abortions that were so common before the 1970’s make a comeback. Abortion laws are not going to change
significantly. Arguments to the contrary
are simply scare tactics.
Should Gay
people be allowed to marry?
Whoever is
elected President may or may not effect change in this matter, but the movement
towards Gay marriage and Gay rights in general is clear and probably
unstoppable regardless of who is the President.
What about
Women’s rights?
Laws are in
place, women’s rights are here. Society
may still have to adjust, but the laws are in place. Do women get paid less than men for the same
work? Possibly in some cases, it
probably depends on who is doing the survey.
There are also probably some cases where women get paid more than men
for the same job. This is not something
that laws can easily rectify. How do you
determine which jobs are equal? This
issue will only be solved by supply and demand in the labor force.
Whoever wins
this election I believe social issues will work out in favor of what is fair
and right. If President Obama wins he
will not be as liberal as many conservatives fear. If Mr. Romney wins he will not take us back
to the stone-age as many liberals fear.
Regardless
of who wins this election, our economy will survive and eventually thrive. One philosophy might achieve this faster, but
adjustments will be made and we will succeed.
The success
of this country does not hang on the decision made today, but on the decisions
made in 1781, decisions that assure our country will not fall to dictatorship,
that ultimately the people dictate the actions of our government, and
ultimately the people will be correct.
God bless
the USA, and please…whoever wins this election…give him the respect the office
deserves. Regardless of who wins:
HE IS YOUR PRESIDENT!!
I couldn't agree more. This is why we have checks and balances between branches of government...to throw out the extremes and settle somewhere in the middle.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post.
S
As an outsider looking in, I hope Obama wins - there's something about Romney I just don't like, scary bloke. US doesn't need a "Change" it needs a steady hand on guiding the nation out of a depressed economy.
ReplyDeleteThat's my opinion, anyway!
Another good post. I think much of the frustration from the past four years came from those who disrespected the current president and decided that vilifying him for four years was more important than helping solve the countries problems. I'm a firm believer in compromise, but only one party compromises these days. I long for the times when the minority party cared more about the good of the country than it did pursuing its own political agenda. Tom Brokaw was a coward last night when he said "both" parties have refused to reach across the aisle. Biden was told by his Republican friends in the Senate on Inauguration night that Republican leaders (Mitch McConnell) had forbidden any Republican from cooperating on anything. Maybe if Obama wins the minority party will finally fulfill its Constitutional function to help govern.
ReplyDeleteA well thought out & well written post!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Joe, you seem to present a reasonable position, but I find too many flaws. I do not believe that a party that lies, cheats and votes us into wars to boost the ego of their leader has the good of the country at heart. I will take inept attempts to do good over obvious attempts to thwart the doing of any good.
ReplyDeleteBut then I am an unabashed cockeyed, wellmeaning liberal so you know where I stand.
My state's one electoral college vote always goes Republican. It doesn't make a difference for me to vote if I want to vote Democrat. Also, I have been absolutely disgusted with the disrespect I've seen aimed at the current President. It doesn't matter what your views are - the position of President demands greater respect than he has been given throughout this election period.
ReplyDeleteA good post Cranky. As you know I live here but have no vote, and I have made it clear recently that I am glad to not have a vote - Despite this i have found myself looking a the issues and weighing up my position.
ReplyDeleteMy problem is that no matter who wins - there will be good and bad. Whoever wins will spend the first 2 years of his term trying to put right the bad stuff of his predecessors', and will then only leave himself 2 years to do his own good stuff and his own bad stuff - cos in all options there is good and bad!
The Presidents and Prime Ministers that are remembered for doing more good stuff than bad, seem to be the ones, who managed to get re-elected for that 2nd term, and so gave themselves a longer period to get their good stuff done and dusted, and thus are remembered in a better light. For this reason I am glad that Obama will get his 2nd term. I will be interested to see how much good stuff he can now do with an extra 4 years! Perhaps the term of office should be changed to 6 years to give all presidents the chance to do more good as well as clean up the bad from those they succeed!
As for some of the issues this time around. To even talk of denying a woman's right to decide about her body regarding abortion and birth control is a step back into the dark ages, and is not something that should be n anyone's agenda in my opinion. NO abortion should not be the 'go-to' method of birth control, but neither should it be taken away as a right!
I agree with your comments on gay rights, and in accepting that there are gay people in society- once again they should never even enter into a presidential campaign. I am sure that some where it says "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone" - I defy anyone in this day and age to be in a position of being 'sin free' and thus able to cast aspersions on anyone else. We should spend more time on ensuring that people are treated properly in relationships than whether they are in a same sex relationship - You can't tell me that being in an abusive heterosexual relationship should have more credibility and rights than to be in a loving and caring same sex relationship - it just won't wash.
Anyway, I could go one, but as I said, I do not have a vote and therefore technically no voice in the US. However, by the next election I will have, and I am feeling more confident about using it. I used to tell people in the UK not to moan about the outcome if you don't exercise your right to vote! BY not exercising that right, you give up your right to moan and groan when the person you didn't want gets into power - whether it is considered a 'safe' seat or not!
Have a great day - Hope you get some power back on soon, and can transmit via home internet rather than Lowes...
Lou :-)
Well thought out and well written
ReplyDeleteRespect the office... yep, yep, yep!
So long as those decisions made in 1781 are not completely gutted, I can live with it. I shall be crankier than even you tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you have written. I do think, however, that regardless of which way your State is going it is still important to cast your vote -- it is the only way to get a true feeling of what kind of divide there is on candidates. I believe people should stand up and be counted whether or not their person wins. And it is just possible there could be some surprises along the way.
ReplyDelete