Well, There Ya Go
People have begun voting already. Not only that, but reporters have begun filing articles with quotes from people who have voted. Here's a quote now-
"I voted straight Democrat," said Julie Cerf, a 49-year-old who works for a human rights group, after she voted at a firehouse being used as a polling station in Montclair, New Jersey. "This administration is a total disaster. They have bungled everything from the war in Iraq on down. It's time for a break."
Here's another one-
Charlene Apostol, 45, a graphic designer, said she voted Republican, complaining that her real estate taxes had quadrupled since her recent move to the East Coast from California
Yesterday afternoon NPR asked a couple of average citizens how they made up their minds who to vote for. One guy said he'd vote for the candidate that "felt right". Another guy gave an obviously bullshit response to cover for his real reason, which may have been racial. A common idea was that they'd somehow get an impression of the candidate's character from his appearances on TV and statements in the press.
Nowhere have I heard from a likely voter able to (or allowed to) express themselves in anything but talking points. It's all about how it feels. And if it isn't about "character", it's about "ideals" of some sort- "smaller government", "human rights".
A state political operative was on the radio last week saying that the average person spends about 5 minutes a month thinking about politics- and that those aren't consecutive minutes, either.
I wonder what sort of government we deserve?
Look, today's elections, if they follow the polls, may represent a small step away from the brink of disaster. They may, on the other hand, force the Busch administration to even greater acts of lunacy than we've already seen. It would be a big mistake to think that voting on your feelings is going to have any great affect on the direction this country has taken. No, it's precisely because of this feelings voting, this so-called character voting, that we're in this mess to begin with.
What's the answer to that? Well, pay attention. Read a few good blogs. Try to watch less TV news. You'll find that things aren't quite as rosey or as simple as you may like them to be, but next time you vote, you may feel better afterwards...
"I voted straight Democrat," said Julie Cerf, a 49-year-old who works for a human rights group, after she voted at a firehouse being used as a polling station in Montclair, New Jersey. "This administration is a total disaster. They have bungled everything from the war in Iraq on down. It's time for a break."
Here's another one-
Charlene Apostol, 45, a graphic designer, said she voted Republican, complaining that her real estate taxes had quadrupled since her recent move to the East Coast from California
Yesterday afternoon NPR asked a couple of average citizens how they made up their minds who to vote for. One guy said he'd vote for the candidate that "felt right". Another guy gave an obviously bullshit response to cover for his real reason, which may have been racial. A common idea was that they'd somehow get an impression of the candidate's character from his appearances on TV and statements in the press.
Nowhere have I heard from a likely voter able to (or allowed to) express themselves in anything but talking points. It's all about how it feels. And if it isn't about "character", it's about "ideals" of some sort- "smaller government", "human rights".
A state political operative was on the radio last week saying that the average person spends about 5 minutes a month thinking about politics- and that those aren't consecutive minutes, either.
I wonder what sort of government we deserve?
Look, today's elections, if they follow the polls, may represent a small step away from the brink of disaster. They may, on the other hand, force the Busch administration to even greater acts of lunacy than we've already seen. It would be a big mistake to think that voting on your feelings is going to have any great affect on the direction this country has taken. No, it's precisely because of this feelings voting, this so-called character voting, that we're in this mess to begin with.
What's the answer to that? Well, pay attention. Read a few good blogs. Try to watch less TV news. You'll find that things aren't quite as rosey or as simple as you may like them to be, but next time you vote, you may feel better afterwards...
posted by Pooleside | 9:42 AM
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