The
First Tuesday after the First Monday in November
You know, I think I've
changed my mind. I had originally thought that I'd start this blog
out with some shouting and some rage. I've had an anger building in
me for months and months and was going to vent it now in one
explosive purge. I was going to rant and holler about the political
ads on the television. I was going to wail and moan about the many,
many political phone calls that have clogged my telephone for many,
many weeks. And I was going to especially scream about all my
“friends” on Facebook who have been “kind” enough to inform
me about how diabolically awful each of our presidential candidates
are.
But I'm not going to.
I've decided to tone it down and to behave rationally. Hollering
would be the easy way and there are times, non-withstanding what some
acquaintances might say, where I don't take the easy way.
So, my friends, let's look
at each of the above named annoyances, shall we?
Television/radio ads.
There surely have been lots of them, haven't there? A
majority of the ones I've viewed were of the presidential variety,
but as we approached election day the lesser races began to show
their faces too. Some of the ads were quite clever, some were
informative, some were quite emotional. A lot were half-truths,
near-truths and outright fabrications. A good chunk of them were
attack ads, of course. “Don't worry about what I'm going to do,
just look what this ne'er-do-well has done in the past.” A lot of
those ads hinted at the fact that the candidate probably ought to be
arrested, in jail or rode out of town on a rail.
At least.
Some said that if you
would elect this guy the country and/or the world will definitely
be going to hell in a hand-basket. Definitely. Others said
that if you supported “the other guy” you were, at the least,
deficient in some brain function and, at the worst, a traitor who
should be summarily executed. A lot of them stated “facts” that
were easily found to be incorrect and had been demonstrated so for
quite a while. Apparently the ads were working with the supposition
that if you throw enough mud against the wall, some of it would
stick. Or that if you tell someone that “A” did XYZ enough
times, a few of the audience members will begin to believe “A”
did that despicable thing. Those are all well-known brainwashing
techniques.
Did you get brainwashed?
Let me ask you another
question. Did any of the ads make you change your mind after you'd
made your choice? Did one of the ads make you hate your guy so bad
you jumped on the other guy's bandwagon?
Didn't think so.
In any event, there were
oodles and oodles of them, weren't there?
So be it. It's a free
country (despite what some ads would have you believe). If someone
wants to place an ad and spend his money to do so, why shouldn't he
be able to? “What if it's a lie”, you might ask.
So what? Half of the ads
you see selling products are half-truths at best. Be happy for the
television (and radio) stations who are realizing a great windfall to
their bottom lines. Those political dollars are going into someone's
pocket. All television and radio advertising executives are wearing
grins these days, you betcha!
And the phone calls.
Annoying? My God, yes. But I find I'm beginning to enjoy hanging up
on them. I pick up and listen. Since I doubt very much if Pat Boone
would be calling me personally, or Obama or Romney, I hang up on
them. Same for all of them. Simple! I look at the caller id. Do I
know him? Answer and hang up. Answer and hang up. Answer and hang
up. Takes 2 seconds and doesn't clog your answering machine.
The Facebook freaks? I am
simply amazed by the number of my friends, and I use the term quite
loosely, who are simply batshit CRAZY about their political views! I
have quite a number of them who seem to ONLY think about politics and
how AWFUL the “other” guy is. I've seen stuff on there I'm
surprised hasn't generated visits from the Secret Service for their
vileness. There seems to be a LOT of hate out there, folks. Others
are just dumb. They remind me a lot of third graders going
na-na-na-na to their playground rivals. Lots of hot air and rhetoric
to justify their puerile emotions. Don't they realize that almost NO
one is interested in their political postings and posturing? Even
the ones who agree with them? We get it! We know who you like and
who you don't! Don't tell me for the 98th time!
And I find all this
seriously puzzling.
Have any of the candidates
personally done something to any of them? Did they come to their
door and beat up their wife? Steal their car? Shoot their dog?
Come on now! Go outside
and take a deep breath. Take an aspirin and a nap. Give it a break!
Your guy doesn't wear a
halo and the other guy doesn't have horns and a tail. Half of your
friends and relatives LIKE the other guy, much as you'd like to
ignore it. Very close to half of the electorate, if polls are to be
trusted, LIKE the other guy too. Are they ALL misinformed boobs?
Closet subversives? Soon-to-be anarchists?
Of course not!
Don't forget that they all
think you've got a screw loose, too, by your support of your
guy.
This is America and we ALL
love a good contest. Our sports team is the best! Our high school
was the best! Our kids are the best!
It's what we are and how
we operate. We are passionate people and very demonstrative on our
likes and dislikes.
Deep breath, relax,
remember you weren't going to get upset. Stay calm.
So... Tomorrow is
election day. Sometime tomorrow morning I will rise from my bed,
dress, get in the car and visit my polling place. And then I'll vote
for the man I want to be president. (And of course some other stuff,
too.)
I'd like to see him win.
I'd like to see him do what he's promised he's going to do.
But is America going to go
down the tubes if the other guy gets in?
Hell no!
I'm very sure that either
man, if elected, will do his damnedest to do a good job. He'll work
day and night to attempt to make his country the best in the world.
He'll bust his ass and his hair will turn gray (or grayer) because of
it. He will serve the people who voted for him and the ones who
didn't to the best of his abilities.
And he'll probably do a
fine job. A damn fine job.
One thing's for sure
though, whoever wins the crown.
He'll be my president.
And that's good enough for me.
