NOVEMBER 101: WHO DO WE VOTE FOR?

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times: “I’m so confused; I don’t know who to believe anymore.” Actually, when I hear those words, I am encouraged because, just a year ago, these same people were adamant in their denial, insisting that Washington was doing the right things and that the country was not headed for problems. Even as we got into the heat of the health care debate, they defiantly stood their ground, and the President’s, by insisting that we had to do something.

That they have come to the point of questioning what the truth is, is a gigantic leap forward. Granted, they are now facing the frustrating task of trying to catch up with the rest of us, to assimilate information…good information, and to reach sound conclusions.

I empathize with their frustration. When I awoke one morning to discover that the Republican Party was not the answer to everything that ails America, when I realized that, just like the Democrats, there was no limit to their level of corruption or lack of ethics, I was disillusioned and heartbroken. I rebelled, just like the Obama believers and the rest of the Democrats have rebelled. When your belief bubble bursts, just who can you trust?

So, are you just going to run around in frustration, or are you going to go ahead and have hot, sensuous sex? Why not? Jump in; this “soak and poke” hot tub has plenty of room.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a Democrat, Republican or independent; we all agree on some basic things. Our government is not listening to us. Spending is out of control and our national debt is in crisis. We need a good national health care policy, but what got shoved down our throats is not what it was represented to be and does not solve the problems. The power of the people is being usurped. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have done a damned poor job of representing us in Washington.

Yes, there are other fundamental issues that divide Republicans and Democrats, but we can agree on many things. Now, we are faced with upcoming elections in November and where do we start, how do we decide how to vote to clean this “culture of corruption” in Washington up? And, it is a culture. It has been ongoing for decades and has involved both parties.

The only way to change a culture is to shock it into reality. Right now, THEY are the ones in denial. THEY are the ones who think they are entitled to behave as they have been behaving. THEY are the ones who think they are the high potentates of our country and we are the pissants. But, our government is a government of the people and our elected representatives are supposed to be our servants.

How do we shock them into reality?

Turnout. We have to turnout in November in the masses to vote, regardless of party. And, we have to turnout every damned incumbent we can. Every House seat is up for grabs. Let’s turn them all out… every last one of them, Republican or Democrat. Let’s clean the slate and start new. Only a third of the Senate seats are up for grabs, but we can turn those guys out of office, too; I guarantee you the remaining two-thirds, faced with such results, will get the message.

So will the White House.

If we end up with the exact same numbers of Democrats and Republicans that we have in Congress right now, but every one of them is new and every one of them is a true American patriot who has the spine to stand on their principles and for what their constituents believe and to uphold our Constitution, we will have pushed one big wind of fresh air into our nation’s Capitol. We can do that.

Start now in the primaries. Let’s not wait until November. If you have a Democrat incumbent being challenged, vote for the challenger. If several people are vying for the same nomination, pick the one with the least political experience and the most business acumen. Same for the Republicans. Whatever you do, don’t return the incumbent to Washington because he or she has been infected by the “culture” bug.

When we get to November, it will be ideal if we have a new Republican facing a new Democrat so that we can make wise decisions based on who is best for the job and on our values instead of who we dislike the least. God knows that we have been faced with those decisions for many years… who we hate the most or dislike the least as a basis for our vote. What a “change” we can make if this happens!

Being successful in this means we have to get off our duffs and pay close attention to the candidates. Forget the ads; every politician running is going to either lie or omit some facts. They will make promises they know they cannot keep. What we need to see are politicians who will debate the issues on their merits instead of avoiding the issues and simply slinging mud. “I don’t care what an asshole the opponent is, I care about YOU and what your intentions are in meeting MY expectations. I’m the boss, Mr. or Ms. Candidate, and YOU are the prospective employee. Show me, tell me who you really are and spare me your opinion of your opponent, because I’m going to find those facts out for myself.”

Don’t be frustrated. Don’t be embarrassed. Don’t be intimidated. YOU are in charge here; YOU’RE the boss. And, you should be proud of yourself for admitting that you need to dig into this game and to learn the rules and the stats.  Just like football and baseball, you need to study it to be good at it. You need to get to know the players and you need to start planning now for an election-night block party.  In fact, why not have some pre-election parties?  Invite some friends over and just talk about some of the issues you have and who could best win the game for you. 

Let’s take our country back and get ourselves back into the game.  We can do it. 

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.