Election 2012
Super Bowl for Political Junkies
What an exciting time in America’s history! We are about to vote for our next President of the United States of America! This is like the Super Bowl for political junkies like me. Does that describe you? As political junkies, we planned our whole summer around the Primaries, which led up to the opportunity to cast our vote for our Presidential candidate. Then came the back and forth between President Obama and Governor Romney. Daily we watched the political news, fast-forwarding through the day-to-day events just to catch a sound bite or an intelligent assessment given by some expert of the man we chose for our party’s nomination.
My husband and I planned “date” nights around the four final debates, and I recorded them so I could watch them a second (and sometimes a third) time. [This is where you insert “she is crazy!”] But I like to make up my own mind. I don’t want to be told that President Obama said this or that Governor Romney seemed this way or that way.
A Country Divided
Now there is only seven days left—seven days!—until we elect our next President. As expected tensions are high on both sides, political commercials are flooding our TV programs, junk mail is filling up our mailboxes, and unfortunately, most of our country is divided into two very intolerant groups of people.
I’ve been on social media and face-to-face with people who are adamant about not getting along with someone else because of their political association. And it’s on both sides. Republicans and Democrats are disrespectful, condescending, intolerant, and even vicious at times because someone will not be voting for their approved candidate.
Historical Facts
One of the things that have always made America strong is our freedom of speech. If you get up and say that the sky is yellow, you will be wrong, but you have the right to say it—and I have the right to disagree with you. But morally, I don’t have the right to hate you because you are a believer of “the yellow sky”.
I do however have a right to voice my opinion and try to convince others to be a “blue skyer” instead of a “yellow skyer”. Not by hating them, but by using the facts…facts that I have studied out and learned about, and am a witness to. There is another way to prove my point also, by history. Historically the sky has been blue. Sometimes pink when the sun is setting, sometimes gray when a storm blows in, and sometimes green when a tornado is about to pass, but historically, when the sky is clear it has always been blue.
The candidates and their respective minions continually spout off things that they are equipped to do for our country. Back and forth…going to raise taxes on the rich, going to decrease taxes on the poor, going to provide healthcare, going to fix Medicare, going to decrease the budget, going to balance the books..blah..blah..blah..yadda..yadda..yadda.
We can’t really believe everything they say, because a lot of it is hypothetical. And we need to realize that they are not running for “King” of the United States, so they will have to play nice with others (the Congress) in order to get anything done.
Now that we’ve heard all of the debates, all of the talking points, all of the commercials, and all of the spin, let’s look at the history of the candidates. As I’m writing this I have two editorials on either side of me, respectfully positioned: on my left a Democrat backed paper that we received from the union and on my right a Republican backed paper we received from our church. And although they both claim to be unbiased (they’re just reporting the truth…right…) I’m only going to use the points that each side believes is positive for their candidate.
Historically, President Obama has been a lawyer, a Senator, and a President.
- As of July, he is averaging +0.84% annual job growth in his term
- He passed the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
- He passed the Making Home Affordable program
- He has doubled investments in Pell Grants
- His stimulus package includes $100 billion for education
- In May 2012, he said his belief is that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry
- He is pro-choice
Historically, Governor Romney has been a missionary, a businessman, and a Governor.
- He led Bain & Company out of financial crisis
- He organized and led the 2002 Olympics to financial success
- He reformed the state’s health care program when he was governor of Massachusetts
- He presided over the elimination of a projected $1.2-1.5 billion deficit through a combination of spending cuts, increased fees, and the closure of corporate tax loopholes
- In 2006, he urged the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment
- He is pro-life
The United States of America
So…chose your president. And whichever man wins, we as Americans, should “unite” behind him. Don’t be a sore loser and take your ball and go home. We don’t have to support his policies, and if he doesn’t keep his promises, the next time we get the opportunity we’ll vote him out. Together we are The United States of America…oh sure we have different parties and different opinions, and different ways of doing things, but that’s what makes us unique. We need to discuss, debate, and argue our beliefs, but at the end, we need to unite. …Don’t allow race, religion, or some commercial to decide your vote, dig out the history of these men and make up your own mind. And play nice…
A Voice from the Past
Just to finish, I was reading a small article about the past Presidents and I found an endearing quote from John Adams. In 1800, President Adams, from the unfinished rooms of the nation’s Capitol City, wrote his wife, “Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May not but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents
