Obviously this isn’t a blog on politics. And obviously I don’t expect people to have the same viewpoint as I do. But election day is less than a week away. Millions of people have already cast their ballot during early voting. The 45th president of the United States is on the verge of being elected. So I decided to make this video to stress the importance of voting in our democracy. Sure I talk about Hillary, but I also discuss the significance of simply having the right to vote as we do.
The important thing isn’t for you to agree with me or the candidate I’m voting for, but rather that you have a say in who leads the country and community in which you live.
Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the first Saturday of each month to discuss various topics outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today’s topic is voting.
Congressional favorability ratings are still hovering around all-time lows. People are fed up with politicians. Many don’t think of their vote for president as being consequential. But everyone is only a part of one Congressional district for the House of Representatives. So instead of thinking about that one person who represents your area in the United States House of Representatives, why not think of all the local races and candidates on the ballot in November? Local judges. Sheriff. State senator and representative. School board. Mayor. State constitutional amendments. Governor.
You see, there is so much more on the ballot than just the presidential and congressional candidates. Every time I’ve voted there has been more than a dozen local items on the ballot. Voting for or against these items and candidates is probably even more important than voting in the national races. You could be voting on the legalization of marijuana or a major construction package. You could be voting on tax hikes or school funding. These would all be very important questions that are all local propositions. And items that could have a real impact on your life. Which is why I believe it to be so important to vote.
Maybe you don’t care about who occupies the Oval Office. Maybe you’ve never thought of what your Congressman is doing for you in Washington DC. And maybe you’ve been put off the entire political process. But voting is a whole lot more than political candidates hundreds or thousands of miles away. Election day isn’t for many months, but state primaries and caucases are well underway. And I’d encourage every registered voter to research their local candidates and get out to vote. Because you might not be interested in voting for Trump, Hillary, Bernie, or one of the remaining presidential candidates; but local races are also important.
I’d intended to save whatever poems I decided to write for the weekends, but now I’m changing my mind. Sue me.
Did you know that it was Election Day on Tuesday? Maybe you knew, but I bet you didn’t vote. Cause something like 40 percent of eligible voters vote in midterm elections. That’s fine. If you don’t want to have have some small say in who represents you at the federal level, but more importantly at the state and local levels, then be my guest. But this isn’t a political post. Or even one that outlines why you should always vote. Nope. This is about respect.
I don’t care if you identify as a Republican or Democrat or Independent. I don’t. Because your political and social views mean absolutely nothing to me. And I’m near certain that mine mean the same to you, whether you’ll say it out loud or not. But something happened this week that I’d hope most Americans would be disgusted by. It was something with President Obama. No, I’m not going to go on a rant about what he’s had to endure during his time in the White House. This is just one event I’m going to talk about.
Did you watch it? Even though the title of the clip says all you need to know. I hope you recognize that this is not okay. I fully recognize that a lot of people disagree with President Obama on many issues. And I also recognize that there are plenty of racists out there. Hopefully you don’t deny this fact. Anyway, I have a story for you. I was too young to have an educated opinion when George W. Bush was first elected in 2000. But I was able to form my own opinions on things for the first time during his presidency. My opinion of President Bush as a person or of his policies is irrelevant. Why?Because I would never have exhibited such disrespect for the man who was the President of the United States.
I’m not saying that you need to treat President Obama as if he’s some greater being than you or I, but I will say that he is the President of the UNITED STATES. Your president. If you didn’t vote for him, fine. If you disagree with his position on every issue, fine. If you’re counting down the days until he’s out of office, fine. The thing is that you personally know people who you also disagree with on just about every issue, but you still manage to work with each other or coach Little League without any disrespect exchanged between the two of you. Why should you treat the president any differently?
Vote. Call your representative. Protest. Volunteer for a campaign. Do pretty much whatever you want, but I’d hope you agree that this caller was in the wrong.
Showing some respect toward the president is no different from doing so with your neighbor. He’s a person just like you trying to do an incredibly difficult job.
Johnny Reads 