Why I Voted Today
This was my first time voting. I will admit it, I did not vote in 2004. John Kerry personally disgusted me as a ridiculously weak candidate (one who I absolutely couldn’t stomach voting for) and voting for Bush was just NOT an option. I got started on the path to voting that year, I really did. I registered and was mailed an absentee ballot. I just couldn’t make myself fill it out.
This year was different. I really feel like we have the option to wipe the slate clean and get a fresh start or continue with the same bullshit we have ALL gotten sick of over the last 8 years: the anti-intellectualism, the cowboy diplomacy, the cronyism, the pissing on checks and balances/separation of powers, the politicization of important institutions (like the DOJ), etc etc.
Reason number one for why I voted: Restoring balance to our political arena
Don’t get me wrong, the Democrats have been complicit in green-lighting a lot of these abuses. However, I really believe that Obama represents a different kind of Democrat. I believe he is basically a return to the ideological Democrats of old. Democrats with principles and convictions AND the force of will to stand up for those convictions. As much as I loathe LBJ’s support of the Vietnam War, where is there a comparable Democrat in the Congress that can give something akin to the LBJ “treatment?” The Democratic Party got complacent and bloated during it’s vast era of political domination. Along with that, the fire went out. Clinton energized the youth for a bit, but it really took several disastrous Republican presidencies to fire up the next generation of the Democratic Party. Presidents like Nixon, Reagan, and of course, Bush II, have shown the Democrats exactly what can happen when the other guys care about ideology and have fire in their bellies. I think Obama will be able to provide the required amount of juice that is necessary to give the Democrats some teeth and muscle (which is necessary to counter Republican ambitions).
Reason number 2 for why I voted: I can’t stand McCain or Palin.
Make no mistake, I think very poorly of George W. Bush’s policies and approach to politics. However, I don’t think he is a contemptible person. I think he is just in over his head most of the time, ridiculously inept, and a semi- unwitting puppet dangled on strings controlled by the unholy alliance of neocons, theocons, and business interests. I DO have personal contempt for Dick Cheney, Condi, Rumsfeld, and the White House press tools (Dana Perino and Scott Clellan in particular). I put Palin in this group, but John McCain is sort of in his own unique group.
Here are my thoughts on McCain:
I’m speculating here, but I think John McCain *was* a good person. I find his actions in Vietnam (from what I know of them) to be really heroic. However, like the Greek tragedies of old, I think he fell victim to hubris and started believing that he could do whatever he wanted based on the fact that he was an American hero. I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I really question whether or not John McCain has truly been a maverick since ‘Nam. Or rather, I question whether or not his maverick-y actions were motivated by genuine ideological positions or just bitterness and anger.
I think originally McCain was probably exceptionally bitter about his experiences in Hoa Lo (who on earth wouldn’t be?) and probably got some joy at tossing wrenches into political projects and fighting with everyone (whether inside his party or outside of it). Soldiers like McCain know war and conflict and I personally wonder if McCain ever left ‘Nam psychologically. From what I know of McCain, he came home and ditched his crippled wife for a hot twenty-something (Cindy) and then started up his political career. I think McCain lost his way for a while and I think that he tried to find his way back by running an honest campaign in 2000. When that campaign went down in flames (a familiar theme with John McCain), I think that was the last straw for McCain. I think that pushed him back to the familiar territory of bitterness and anger. When given the opportunity to run in ‘08, I think McCain framed this whole thing in his mind as another war (as opposed to an honorable contest between gentleman, which is how I think he saw his run in 2000). However, before he ran in ‘08, I think he decided to win this war at all costs. I think that is why he made his Faustian “deal with the devil” and started courting the religious right, reversing all of his major positions, snuggling up to Bush, running a “slash and burn” campaign in the final stretch, etc. We have all read Greek tragedies and we all know what happens to tragic heroes due to their hubris: they fall and fall big time. As much as my heart goes out to John McCain for the wretched evil that he had to endure in Hoa Lo, he is not the same man that went into that prison camp. He is not the same man that ran in 2000. As a result, I absolutely could not give my vote to a man straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy and watch our country be sacrificed on the pyre of this man’s ambition and instability. McCain’s fall might not be enough to bring the country further into ruinous territory, but if he dies and we get Palin, that is another story entirely. Since Palin is basically a blend of Dick Cheney and the lead character in Clueless, that would only take us down further into the gutter.
Tom (Cyranicles) had a great quote from the New Yorker that said:
“To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. ‘Can I interest you in the chicken?’ she asks. ‘Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?’ To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked. I mean, really, what’s to be confused about?”
That is pretty much how I feel in this election.
The third reason why I voted: I wanted to make a symbolic statement.
If somebody has the audacity to offer you up the platter of shit, there is value in symbolically saying, “Fuck off. I deserve better than THIS.” Even if your individual vote doesn’t mathematically matter (with respect to changing electoral outcomes), the symbolic act of rejecting the shit platter is an important one.
The fourth reason why I voted: It is important to preserve the right to vote by exercising that right.
Precisely because symbolically rejecting certain things or symbolically affirming other things is valuable (see reason number 3), it is important to preserve that right. Even if your voice is small and insignificant, it matters to have it. This is why people die for these rights in other countries or risk death to get that purple ink on their thumbs. This is why people fought for the right to vote here in this country. I realize that now. If nobody votes, we don’t have a democracy. If people stay home, we only have a democracy of voters. I want to be part of that democracy and I want to preserve that democracy and help make sure that it doesn’t shrink down at all.
The fifth reason why I voted: I believe Obama is a man of conviction and worthy of respect on a lot of levels
When Joe the Plumber asked Obama about taxes, Obama didn’t waffle or dance. He looked him in the eye and talked for minutes and minutes about his policy. Moreover, he explained his ideological underpinnings. This is a man who understands the importance of philosophical underpinnings for policy positions and this is a man who understands nuance. I might not agree with all (or even most) of Obama’s philosophical positions, but I respect the fact that he developed those positions in a careful and deliberate manner. I respect his intellect and the fact that he HAS well thought out convictions. I respect Obama’s moxie. Unlike McCain, Obama has stayed true to himself from what I can see. He has stayed true to his convictions and he HAD those convictions even when they weren’t popular. Perfect case in point: Obama spoke out against the Iraq War from DAY ONE. Now…Obama compromises on stuff that I think he shouldn’t compromise on. For example, the FISA renewal. He also backed out of public funding and refused McCain’s town hall format. I’m not really fond of either decision. However, on the whole, I think Obama is the best candidate we have seen in a long time.
That is why I voted.
-Evan
P.S = Voting was easy. It was raining outside (and still is), but I found parking quickly. All of the voting was done at the Latah County Fairgrounds. Inside this building, there were separate areas sectioned off for the different precincts. I’m part of precinct 6, so when I went to that area, I stood in line behind 3 other people. They asked me my name, I got my ballot, and I voted. Total time from start (leaving my house) to finish (arriving back at my house) = 15 minutes.
Here is a picture of Moscow today from one of UIdaho’s webcams:
