Finding Joy in Snarkville

As of this typing, I’m serious when I say I have no idea who will receive my highly valuable vote.

(Please note that I happen to vote in a swing state.  My vote can (and has) swung elections.  Now, as much as I feel that the thought that someone’s vote isn’t as valuable makes me sick to my stomach, I know that you blue dots in red states (and red dots in blue states) feel that way.  I’m just saying the state I vote in is neither a red or blue state.)

But (and my dad is going to be highly pleased by this) I have now watched both of parties conventions in a hope of forming some real opinion as to who can have my vote.  I’ve long since realized that I will not (as i feel I have never) be voting *FOR* someone as much as *AGAINST* someone.  So, since I have no love for either of our canidates, I feel I must find something to grasp to that will be the defining issue I will make my decision on.

Until I figure it out, I give you a few things that will not sway me to one side or the other:

1. I just have to get it out there, I will not vote for McCain because he has a woman as the vice-presidental  candidate.  I’m sorry, if I’m failing the cause of women everywhere, I’m not swayed to one side because one of the candidates gets to wear a skirt.
2. To that end, please stop sending me all the e-mails about how Obama isn’t a ‘natural citizen.’  I don’t care and firmly believe that the powers that be have vetted that part too.
3. Having a war record doesn’t make you powerful and not having one doesn’t mean you can’t lead.  But frankly, I’m at a point in my life that I don’t care what you did years ago, as much as I care who you are today.
4. Hardships growing up, rising above the cards you were dealt doesn’t move me to think you can lead me.  Let’s face it, no one gets to run a national campaign who doesn’t have more priviledges in life than I have.  You can talk all day long about being poor, struggling and whatever — you have to admit that you didn’t pull yourself by your own bootstraps.  You got there with help — you can admit it.  (And um, more than your grandmother, k?)
5. Your spouse, children, family, whoever, no matter how cute, will not sway me.  Though, as a mother, I have to wonder and feel sorry for all of those children under 18.  I may just be a wee judgmental (though I support any mom’s right to do what she needs to do) that there is a mama who has a YOUNG child, with Down’s, who is in essence leaving her family.  Try to tell me that the US needs her more than that child.  Try to tell me that Palin’s 17 year old pregnant daughter doesn’t need her mama more.  But, I assure you that I’m not voting against McCain because I think she needs to be home with her family either.
6. Your suit, lapel pin, bracelet, tattoo.  None of these matter to me.  Yes, I am willing to admit I want you to be clean cut, have a nice suit on, and look decent.  I do not think you need to match the flag. And in case you, like me thought that Palin and Cindy McCain were wearing the Israeli flag pin, after MUCH research, I found out that they are wearing the “Red Star Mother’s Flag” — for family members of active duty members during wartime.
7. Pat answers to hard, probably unsolveable problems.  I don’t believe that there are easy answers to the housing situation, taxes, failing schools, or even gas prices.  I firmly disagree that any of those issues (failing schools being the one that moves me today) are going to be easily solved.  I want my canidate to step up and say, these things will be HARD, it will take bending on both sides and here’s what I think can be accomplished in the short, middle, and long term.  But that’s not good politics, good politics seems to state that you promise people the impossible and then blame the other party when you won’t be able to deliver.
8. Pandering to a canidate who I happen to strongly dislike, doesn’t help.  Yes, I make no secret that I strongly dislike Hilary.  I can’t help it — as much as I don’t want 4 more years of a Bush presidency, I don’t want 4 more years of Clinton either.  While I get that there’s a need to unite, extolling her as the be all and end all of women in politics is an insult to politics and women.
9. Don’t promise me that you’ll bring our men and women home without any explaination of how you aren’t going to create a state that hates us more.  Someone with some idea, figure out how to stand up and say we should have never gone to war in Iraq, but now we need to fix a few of the problems we solved.  Someone find Charlie Wilson and give that man the $1 million for schools that could have perhaps prevented the rise of the Taliban in Afganistan.  Just saying.
10. A balloon drop or fireworks.

Ok, so I know there is more, but the reality is that after two conventions and more speeches than I care about, I am still stumped.  I know that I need to figure out what will be my defining issue.  Here’s hoping a debate or four will shed light on my decision.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 9:41 pm and is filed under Snark for Snarky Sake. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.