With all the hype about how this is going to be the most web-centered Presidential election ever (just like the last one was...), I figured I would jump on the bandwagon and do my part for showing off what the candidates have to offer. I may not have a lot of time to do this, but I encourage anyone to jump in and fill my shoes while I'm gone this summer. To start off, I would like to show the follwowing cartoon:
This is something that I (and apparently others as well) have been thinking for a while now. What happened to the difference between the parties? At present, it appears that many times, they disagree on principal of being different parties, rather than on what their constituents would like them to do. Sure, if you choose to elect a Republican (or Democrat) to office, you generally know how they are going to react and you probably agree with them on the majority of the issues. However, how many people vote for one party (not one candidate, a fine distinction) based on a single issue? It is unfortunate that certain issues polarize this country so much, but it is also a result of the two-party system. If you and your opponent are so alike, you have to bring attention to those differences, even if you had to invent those differences at the last minute. This causes changes within the party over time, although sometimes people get noticed (think about John Kerry's reputation as a flip-flopper and try to figure out what that is based on--do you actually remember what it was, or do you eat up what the talking heads on TV say?). Just look at the shift from the Southern Democrat to the Democratic Party of today.
I don't like spin. I don't even really like politics, because I see it as a series of people (of either party) lying to the people. It takes time to get things done in Washington not because of bureaucracy, but because as soon as people are elected, the majority begin to ignore their constituency and play the same game everyone else is playing.
There should be no deals. There should be debate on the merits of a particular course of action, regardless of the special interests of the elected party, who funded them, or how many lobbyists they have banging on their door at one time. This is not the way the government is run today, but it is the way it should be run. This can be changed if enough people decide it is worthwhile. Although this is not my main point, consider promoting
Democracy Matters to have clean elections in your local area.
I have not decided which candidate I would like to endorse, but I encourage everyone to consider third parties. I ask of you all one thing: that you think about who you are voting for--what they claim they will do, who is supporting their campaign, and whether you believe that they will give it their all to act as you want them to act. This is not an election to break things down on party lines--this is an election to declare who we are as a country, by electing individuals who will represent us to the limits of their strength.
I'll leave you with a quote from a person I know:
If the President becomes a dictator, you gonna just lay down your arms and go quietly like some Chinese peasant?
The President, may I remind you, works for US. We, the people. Not the other way around. We are the boss of HIM. He's our employee.
[Boromir Sneer]
America has no king. America needs no king.
[/Boromir Sneer]
Topic: The Political Cartoon Thread (Read 5468 times)
