Electoral Bloggage

Election Day.

Well, it’s down to it. So much has been said on this issue, there’s not a lot for me to add. One thing that brings people of both parties together this year is that we’re all damn ready for this to be over.

A light-hearted and wild look at this election can be found here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/6562575?pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=single7

As usual, Hunter Thompson makes up about 40% of the shit he writes, but the rest is so painfully insightful it almost makes you sick. Richard Nixon as a liberal indeed …

And of course, if Dr. Thompson seems too serious, you can always hit up

http://www.theonion.com


As for the election, the latest poll predictions are as follows:

Washington Post -- Bush 49%, Kerry 48%

CNN/USA Today/Gallup – Bush 48%, Kerry 46%

New York Times – Bush 52%, Kerry 45%

Columbus Dispatch – Bush 50%, Kerry 50%

Michael Moore: Bush 0%, Kerry 100%



Ok, I made that last bit up.

The most important thing to remember in these statistics is the margin of error, generally + or – 4-5 percentage points. Which means it’s nearly impossible to tell.

More shocking than a close presidential election is the fact that the Gay Marriage Ban (State Issue 1 if you’re an Ohio voter) is an actual issue in Ohio.

I don’t know where people lost sight of the big picture here. This is discrimination solely on the basis of sexual preference.

That’s bigotry, and it’s wrong.

This should never have left a politician’s MOUTH, let alone wound up on a ballot as a serious choice.

As if that’s not bad enough, it looks as if it will actually PASS.

Way to go, Ohio. A shining example to the nation that prejudice is still a proud foundation of the general Ohio populace.

But that’s my only real rant. As for our future president -- Bush or Kerry – there’s not a real choice here. Sure, in the last month or so, Kerry has actually seemed like he could be a decent President, but it’s too little, too late. And John Edwards – yeesh! A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Sometimes I wonder why people get so passionately worked up over this election. Kerry voted in favor of the war in Iraq (if this is news to you, please don’t vote today). Kerry supported Bush’s No Child Left Behind act, which is probably the worst education policy this country has ever seen.

Neither candidate has a reasonable plan to deal with Social Security or the creation of jobs in a poor economy, and their economic policies are the most definitive lines between the two.

The Columbus Dispatch -- a CONSERVATIVE paper for those of you who believe in that sort of horseshit -- points out that in the last seven months, 500 more Americans were killed in Iraq, and Ohio lost 13,300 jobs.

Yet, the polls are just as close now as they were seven months ago.

This election may not be as crappy as 2000, but there is still so little distinction between two lousy candidates.

Every major news organization has reported that both candidates have 'teams of lawyers' lined up in Ohio and Florida, because we know it won't be as simple as counting votes.

This election process -- and I’m still carefully avoiding mention of the presidency here -- is an embarrassment and a shame. Anyone who’s traveled outside the U.S. since 2000 knows this.

One thing I’m proud of is that this should be a record vote. It may even actually reach 50%. This is a good thing, because nearly everyone I know has an opinion about this presidency. So it's about time people actually voiced that in a meaningful way, instead of just bitching from their couches. More college students and other slacker-types are registered than ever before. A true futon revolution could be at hand.

This is the first election since I've been voting that I haven't been extremely vocal about. Part of this is because the candidates are so similar. The other part is that it seems pointless to try, because I'm the only person I know who hasn't made up his or her mind -- everyone else decided months ago (which makes me laugh at the desperate moves of both candidates since the debates). My own indecision results not from a waffling between Bush and Kerry, but instead a waffling between the left and far left.

And don't give me any crap like, "A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush."

The exit polls in the last election showed that most people voting for Nader would have voted for Bush if Nader weren't an option. So take your Democratic propaganda and shove it.

Anyway, I can only hope that the people voting actually took a moment to familiarize themselves with the issues. Honestly, this does not take a lot of time for most issues. Go to your local newspaper’s Website, take five minutes to familiarize yourself with the issues, then drive to the poll and vote.

If you can’t take the time to do that, stay the fuck home.

Ok, I’m kidding. I’m not pulling the Republican “suppress the vote” ploy here. I mean, if you really want to vote blindly, go for it. I’m just hoping people will take a quick minute to make sure they know who or what they’re voting for or against.

For example, Ralph Nader (not on the Ohio ballot, for those of you voting there) is running independently, NOT as the Green party candidate.

If you didn’t know this, stay the fuck home.

Ok, kidding again, but:

The Green party candidate is David Cobb, whose highest political position held is a county seat. Despite lacking a formal political party backing, Ralph Nader is generally considered a greater electoral threat than Cobb. Which is odd, because neither poses any real threat whatsoever.

This is the sort of thing you should know before hitting the polls. Have at least a vague idea of what each candidate represents, whether it be local or national, decide which you think is best for the county/state/country, and then get out there and vote!