-or- A tale of two failures
I read articles, posts, and blog entries from folks with a strong Democratic/liberal tilt to them. They have so much passion, so much feeling, so much energy behind their support of one candidate or principle. And then equally articulate, passionate, and intelligent Republican/conservative people reply. Or vice versa.
And you know what? In a way I envy them.
I am truly a man without a party. I grew up in Utah, a bastion of conservative thinking and was registered as a Republican for a number of years, and generally voted that way. Yes, I voted for GW Bush in 2000, as I could not tolerate the thought of Gore driving the car. But somewhere along the course of the last four years I found myself alienated from either of the major political parties. I find myself to be a moral conservative, but something of a liberal when it comes to my political thoughts/leanings, and so it would appear that neither party wants me.
I'm glad too.
I think both parties have lost sight of what purpose they ought to serve. I don't care if you are Republican or Democrat, once you get elected into a position you have the duty to represent everyone in your stewardship - not just the people who put you there. Sure, your political philosophies will dictate your stands on issues and the direction you take. But far too often issues get distilled down to whether it is being championed by one party or the other, with no thought as to what might actually be best for the people. Because the simple truth of the matter is neither party has a corner on the truth nor an absolute monopoly on the good ideas. Don't tell them that though. That sort of thinking doesn't fit the system.
And then we start to hear talk about which candidate is the most trustworthy, the most moral. Now that is a laugh. Call me a cynic, but I cannot believe that you could truly be a career politician, gunning for high levels of office, and still really be that moral. Politics at that level simply requires too much shifting, too much conniving, too much dishonesty for someone to come through that unscathed.
So here I stand, wishing I could support a candidate with a chance. But no matter who I vote for they won't look out for me, or anyone else. Except themselves, of course. Oh, and their precious little party - the rest of the world be damned.