Politically Correct

by joi on December 13, 2007

Vote 2008 As the Iowa caucuses are looming, things are getting profoundly interesting in an arena where interesting isn’t often the code word. If you’re like a lot of people, you’ve gotten pretty disenchanted with politics and, even, politicians. Maybe even to the point of not following the news. I heard a man on television say he couldn’t pick Barack Obama out in a crowd. When the reporter asked him, “How about Mike Huckabee?,” his expression said it all - he hadn’t even heard of him. I’d love to say the man was a teenager or was barely out of his teens, but the truth is, he probably has teens of his own!

This really isn’t a post about a particular candidate, or even a party. I’m not trying to support one party or politician, and I’m most definitely not trying to knock anyone. I try very, very hard to never throw stones. Stones hurt. I’m not into that.

So what is the post about? It’s about educating oursleves, enlightening ourselves, and expressing ourselves. The 2008 Election is huge - and the time is perfect to start learning all we can about these individuals who are courting our trust, our loyalty and (most definitely) our all-important votes.

Who you vote for is entirely your business, as are your beliefs and the issues you stand by. I’ve read great deal about each party’s candidates. We’re dealing with a very intellectual group of people - on both sides. Each politician would bring something special to the White House and to his or her term(s). I’m actually kind of torn between several of the candidates. I’m still reading, listening, and watching. I hope you have a candidate you’re already passionate about. I just hope that the passion was born out of being excited about who they are and what they represent - not out of who they aren’t or what they don’t represent.

I really only want to do one thing with this post today: To encourage everyone to read about the candidates (both sides) and to see what issues they support. Visit their web sites and learn all that you can about each individual. Don’t make the mistake of saying, “I’m going to vote for this one, so I don’t care what they say.“ Open your mind and educate yourself. Sure, you may go right back to the one you chose in the first place - but your decision will carry a lot more weight then, won’t it? And when others ask you who you’re supporting, you’ll be able to back your decision up with facts.

The bad thing about closed minds is nothing ever gets in. The only thing inside a closed mind is what was there all along. Kind of like a smelly, moldy hamper - no circulation!

Also, I’m really hoping that people will vote for an individual - not for or against a sex, a race, or a party. I’ve seen and heard so many people zeroing in on the fact that Hillary Clinton is a female and Barack Obama and Alan L. Keyes are black men. They’re individuals (intelligent ones, at that) and they deserve to be looked at as Presidential Candidates - not as a sex or a color. They shouldn’t be supported for those birth-given facts, they should be supported because or what they can do for our country. They shouldn’t, of course, be shunned either. That would be narrow-minded at best, ignorant at worst. Frankly, I’m just tired of celebrities endorsing candidates when the first and last thing out of their mouth is about their race or sex. People earn an education, they earn a reputation, they earn respect….they don’t earn the color of their skin or the F or M on their driver’s license.

I’m proud to be a female and I’m proud to be a Kentuckian - but I had nothing to do with either and I wouldn’t deserve to be celebrated or belittled for either. I think I’m a great wife and mother to three daughters and four cats - that I’ve earned. That would be worthy of pats on the back - or better yet, a drink from Starbucks. I’m a lousy driver and my bedroom closet looks like a tornado just tore through it - that would be worthy of a tsk tsk - or better yet, a drink from Starbucks (I’m just saying…)

Oh, yeah, I’m completely over these individuals being looked at as a female and black men.

Hopefully, when it comes time to vote people will vote for the individual they feel will honestly serve their country the best. It doesn’t matter if that person is black or white, male or female, Democrat or Republican. It doesn’t matter what their last name is.

Finally, one more thing that drives me nuts - when people treat their vote like a Thanksgiving turkey or Boiled Custard. Having turkey on Thanksgiving is a great, honorable family tradition. Drinking Boiled Custard each December is another tasty tradition. But choosing who you want to lead our country isn’t something that should be approached from the, “…this is how we’ve always done it…” stand point. There are people who vote for a certain party simply because their family always did so. Issues? What issues? I guess things were kind of different for me when I was growing up. My dad’s side of the family were (and are) Democrats. My mom’s side of the family were split - half were/are Democrats and the other half were/are Republicans. My mom always voted Democrat until the one and only Ronald Reagan came along. He changed everything for her! My dad, in spite of his family being 100 percent Democrats, was always a Republican (even before Reagan). So I’ve always known that I had to learn about the individuals and vote accordingly. Ironically, President Kennedy and President Reagan were two politicians both of my parents held a great deal of respect for. I honestly don’t remember anything about Mr. Kennedy - only what I’ve read. But from what I’ve read about both men, and from what I saw first-hand with Mr. Reagan, I think my parents were right on the money. I have nothing but respect for them, either.

Below are web sites that can give you more information about the main candidates (alphabetically, of course). With an open mind, I encourage you to read what each has to say. And, as with everything in life, never let hate factor into your thinking. Some people say the names Clinton and Bush with nothing but venom dripping from their mouths. Not cool. Get to know the individuals and, for the love of God and Country, don’t let other people, the news or the entertainment industry do your thinking for you. Whether you loathed, liked, or loved Bill Clinton or either George Bush really has nothing to do with the names below. They are their own individuals with their own issues, ideas, and beliefs.

Always remember, knowledge is power, which makes a lack of knowledge nothing but a big nasty pile of susceptible, exposed weakness.