Independent Voter Ideology

This has been something I've been wanting to talk about for awhile now, and there are a few readers I have that are going to think that this is solely pointing a finger at them after they read this. Let me assure you that is not the case and that while I may be using a local example, I'm talking about so-called independent voters as a whole, or at least the majority of the ones I meet.

Now, I get the whole wanting to separate one's self from the rest of the voting populace. I've been there, I've done that and I also saw how silly I was once I stopped and thought about it. Calling oneself, "independent" gives you a sense of being better than everyone, smarter than everyone, and less ideological than everyone, but in reality you really aren't, and quite frankly, it's been slowly getting on my nerves over the years at the amount of people, especially in this state (Indiana), who like to label themselves as independent, really aren't, and then somehow think they are above everyone else, or are able to "think outside of the box" more than everyone else is just because they gave themselves what they perceive to be a clever label.

There's a reason for my snark, so let me move immediately along to it. Using one particular local example, which is also one of my favorites, mainly because of the confusion it gives me, is the pro-life vs. pro-choice battle. On one particular day, one particular person told me how much they thought voting was important, and that it was their duty, and that everyone should do it, etc., all of which I agree with and am glad someone as young as her realizes this. But, when you immediately follow this with "I don't like any of the current candidates, but am willing to vote for the lesser of the two evils, and since I cannot vote for anyone that is pro-choice, I will be voting for McCain."

Here's the ultimate problem with that though, if you are going to confine yourself to the two party system, which is fine by me and something I totally agree with, then saying something like what was said above does not make you an independent voter as far as I'm concerned, no matter how much you protest otherwise. The reason being is that the majority of one of the parties in this country is always going to take a pro-choice stance, the Democrats, and so therefore you are basically saying that you will always vote Republican, which totally kills the entire notion that you are an independent voter in any shape or form.

Now, if you want to do a write in ballot and not stick to the two party system, then that is one of your options, and you can then hold your head high and pretend you think outside of the box and all that jazz and make yourself feel good since you would be an independent voter. But not doing this, or not voting at all, or finding some other way to subvert the system in a way that would allow you to still stand your ground on one particular hot button issue, is not the path of the independent voter.

Never mind the problems I have with people who are against the war, think the economy is going into the tank, and agree with me on some other issues but are still willing to cast their vote for a guy that is just going to continue all of that mess and are doing so for only one specific reason, and that's all for the love and arbitrary protection of a little bundle of cells and a law that will never be overturned since just about every attempt in history to do so thus far has failed utterly.

Addendum: Looks like their is a pretty good book on this exact subject and I was pretty good with the point I was trying to make. Check out The Myth of the Independent Voter. Thanks to my friend CJ for the link.

And another one does, another one does, another one bites the dust...

On the Republican side anyways. Mitt Romney decided to call it quits and fold to the awesome might of John "The Maverick" McCain, leaving us with the evangelicals' hero, Mike Huckabee, to battle it out with "The Maverick". I can only imagine how proud James Garner and Mel Gibson are right now.

So why did Mitt the Mormon quit? Apparently it was for the love of god, country, and to keep those dirty liberals out of the White House so the terrorists don't win.

The one quote that really floored me was:

I am convinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st century...

In all honesty I am perfectly fine with us becoming and would find such a thing particularly great, but in all honesty it probably won't go that route (I'll take their health care at least) and Mittens' quote is nothing more but the typical bullshit pandering that the Right likes to do to spook people in thinking that liberals are some kind of boogeymen out to steal their children or something.

Which is why I need to post my endorsement for Barack Obama and tell exactly why I want him to win. So sorry if I sound a little overly harsh, but I'm a bit fed up with the Right's talk-down wankery that I have been hearing non-stop for seven long years now. I don't know about you, but I'm a bit exhausted from it, know several moderates that are as well, and am ready to get America back on the right course and actually deal with some legitimate issues instead of calling each other names and pinning the evil tag on one another.

Just because some of us want a progressive agenda, doesn't mean we are in bed with terrorists as well...