Monday, October 1, 2012

A Persistent Source of Annoyance

I'm sure I do far more complaining about the (very) conservative republicans who I'm surrounded by than is absolutely necessary. But quite a lot of it is true. And they do annoy me. And since this is my blog, I'm allowed to complain about them all I like, no matter how much this is going to come back to bite me in the rear at some point in the future.

With the election season really getting started now (you know, what with the GOP having finally chosen their death, Romney having officially made a complete fool of himself numerous times, and Obama being hailed as All Things Good by the left), it seems that the beautiful citizens of this great nation are falling all over themselves to proclaim which party hack it is they want to live in the White House for the next four years.

do we want this unprincipled corporatist hack
Everybody from a Walmart checker to the people in our local government get in on this ritual. No joke, I encountered a Walmart checker a couple days ago who, seeing my mom's Ron Paul shirt, asked who she was going to vote for now that Paul wasn't in the running (I give her props for actually knowing who's in the race. That takes work. Sort of). My mom's response, that she was going to vote for Gary Johnson, was greeted with a huffy, disbelieving stare, as if she'd just said that she was going to sacrifice her children on the altar of the liberal media.

I don't know. Maybe this lady thought that was what she said. In any case, she recycled the old lines--about how Romney was the "best choice" we had, how we "couldn't live through another four years of Obama", and how we "only have two choices anyway."

or this one oh gosh choices choices so difficult halp us world
So perhaps the last part's true. Maybe we really do only have two choices that have a snowball's chance in hell of actually getting elected--and these two choices are so alike in all but a few aspects, that they might as well be one. Add to that the fact that only one of those two "choices" will, realistically, have anything close to a shot. Romney lacks the charisma and broad appeal that his opponent has in plenty. So in reality, the entire machine of American media and politics has presented me with one option, wearing two different faces, with only one face that will actually manage to "win".

And I really just don't like that much. Perhaps it's simply the overwhelmingly almost-anarchist part of myself. Perhaps it's simply that I'm a rebellious teenager and can't stand authority. Either way, I don't like being told how to vote.

Besides that, I don't think that our system is supposed to be a sort of one-size-fits-all, let's stick to the status quo kind of thing. Remember that whole freedom and justice and no-taxation-without-representation thing that people once fought a war over? Yeah, that. Perhaps you've read about it. I get this distinct feeling that those guys wouldn't have quite approved of the current idea of what a free election is supposed to be. I think they would vote for the person who most accurately reflected their own ideas, and to the dickens with whatever the rest of the world.

And so, as this gentleman stated, I am voting for Gary Johnson, and not because he will win. I am voting for him because he ought to win, and that's really all that matters.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, but for many people Gary Johnson ain't that man.

Mitt Romney is for states' rights.

Gary Johnson says he's for individual rights, which he should fight for in New Mexico.

Kyla Denae said...

I think it has been very clear throughout my political journey that I rarely follow in the footsteps of "most people".

Anonymous said...

You don't disagree with my assessment?

I think there is a good possibility of Gary Johnson winning this election. I did not say "most people," only "many people."

Your words indicate you do not think Mr. Johnson represents most Americans in their principles and values. Knowing this, what is the reason of your vote for him to represent, not just you, but all Americans as Head of State?

Kyla Denae said...

In my opinion, I highly doubt he has a shot at actually becoming the new President of the United States, and that assessment has little to do with whatever popular support he may or may not possess. I don't doubt that most people do--or would--quite like what he has to say, but the political establishment in general has shown quite clearly over the years that it does what it wants, and to hell with popular opinion.

As to the last paragraph, I'm voting for him because I agree with him. My vote is mine to dispense with as I please; it has nothing to do with whether or not other people agree with him or not. If they don't, and they choose to vote for someone else, that's their business. It is none of mine, and my vote is none of their's. Besides, given the way the political situation is going, it's become a given that at least 40% of the populace will disagree with the President at one point or another, it's just a matter of which 40%.

Anonymous said...

That is not what the founders of this nation thought.

Why do you write this as a blog post and not a "Dear Diary" entry?

I am suspicious your response is false. If who you are voting for is only your personal business, why post it publicly? Unless, you don't actually believe what you are saying. And even then, I am still lost as to why you would post it publicly.

I want to understand, but I just... don't.

Kyla Denae said...

Because it's my blog, and I can post whatever I please, and what I please happens to include my own personal beliefs about who is most able to lead this country.