It's a turbulent and tumultuous environment in America this political season. America is faced with high unemployment rates, a disastrous economy, two wars and a growing dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party, which currently holds the political majority.
After two years of a Democratically controlled Congress, people have yet to see the "not-so-immediate" change they were promised in a time frame deemed suitable for a nation of people who are driven by immediate results. The immediate and emotional response is to oust the party in control and replace it with the other party, in this case the Republican Party. Not only do Americans not have patience, they have short-term memories. It was but two years ago this sentiment swept the country in favor of the Democratic Party, when the problems this country faced was blamed on the Republicans. Now, it is apparently time to hand it back to the Republicans, who want the country to forget they were responsible for the mess to begin with, and give them the opportunity to right the ship they wronged.
But neither party has all the answers. Partisan politics is the problem, not the solution. So whether we put the Democrats in charge and hope for change, then get frustrated at the lack of change, so we put the Republican Party in charge, it makes no difference. That kind of political turnover makes it near impossible to accomplish anything, and time is wasted on repealing anything proposed by the opposing party and replacing it. It's a continuous back-track and very little gets accomplished. And what does get accomplished only lasts until the next political party takes over. The problem with radically and rashly switching between parties is the country fails to move forward. There is no progress. There needs to be a balance in government, as most of the country is middle-of-the-roaders. As Albert Einstein famously stated, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." We are apparently insane.
What we need is representatives who are more concerned with the betterment of America, not representatives looking for political/personal gain. We need a Congress that's willing to work together to find solutions that will better America, regardless of political affiliation. The days of battling for power or position have gotten us nowhere, except where we are today. It's time for a change, and the change begins with you.
So, with the Nov. 2 midterm elections looming, I urge you all to educate yourself on the candidates and the issues. Pay no attention to biased television ads, watch the debates, read your newspaper, check candidate's websites, fully immerse yourself in the issues and then make the best decision for the country. Drop the political party from the end of a candidate's name and take an objective look at everyone.
I spent the last few weeks inundated with everything related to the upcoming elections. Over the last two weeks I interviewed both Republicans and Democrats for possible endorsements, and what I learned is that not all Democrats are the best candidates and not all Republicans are the best candidates.
For those who know me, it's no secret I am a bleeding-heart liberal, and there was a time that I would never vote for a Republican. The idea of voting for a Republican would make me nauseous. But the time of partisan politics is over. To vote solely on political party or affiliation is a mistake and only does more harm than good. It's time to vote for the person, not the party. In most cases, you are only given two choices, pick the better of the two, again, regardless of political affiliation. After speaking with a number of candidates, I met Republicans who had new ideas and valid points and with whom I was very impressed. I also met Democrats who are unqualified to take office or to legislate.
The point is to take the time to educate yourself on the upcoming election. Had I not, I would have undoubtedly voted Democrat in a number of races that would ultimately be a vote I regretted. Not every candidate is as evil as you may think, and they are not all as great as you would think either. When you take the time to be an informed, educated voter, you learn things like Tom Tancredo supports the legalization of marijuana, or that Ken Buck still believes there is not enough credible evidence to convince him of the existence of global warming.
You may end up still voting along party lines, but at least you made an educated and informed decision, as opposed to an emotional one, which solves nothing.
