The Swing Vote

I have been trying really hard to avoid a political post, but...eh! It's election time, so it's pretty hard to NOT formulate an opinion. I am not one to force mine on anyone, so feel free to read my ramblings...but in no way do you have to agree.

The "swing vote", by definition in the Collins English Dictionary, is described as what "...is used talk about the vote of a person or group which is difficult to predict and which will be important in deciding the result." Yep, that's me. The good ol' swing voter. It pains Boyfriend to even discuss my liberal views on politics as he is a straight-ticket Republican aka Blind Faith Republican, as I like to call them. But...that's just me.

However, I am not going to dismiss Republican policy altogether. I'm actually more conservative politically than people think. Which I find entertaining how quickly people judge my foreign-born, gay best friend-having self. The other day, a girlfriend of mine said she didn't believe that I had one thing right-of-the-middle about me, and knew I was nothing more than a complete liberal Democrat. That she could never see me voting Republican. Interesting. It was like crickets chirpping in the background when I told her that I voted for Bush...BOTH TERMS. I know. Shocker, right? Don't get me wrong though... Prior to Bush I was a HUGE HUGE HUGE Clinton supporter...did I mention huge? By far, the best President in my lifetime in my opinion. I vote for the best person for the job, not the best polictical party. I never said I was right every time I voted (case in point with Bush's second term), but I voted with what I believed in at the time.

I voted for Bush for the first term because I agreed with a lot of what he represented and what his visions were. Although, I started second-guessing my decision not long after he took office. After 9/11, I was like many other Americans who had an awakening reminder of what I believed our 43rd President could be. He was exercising his ability to be a strong, compassionate leader, one who brought a nation together in a time of need. A fierce protector of our country under a malicious, violent attack. As November 2004 rolled around, I decided to vote for him again simply because I saw THAT man after the Towers fell and felt he could grow to be even better. It also didn't help that we were in the midst of the beginning stages of war - a time that I believe a change in leadership would not be wise. Whether I agreed with war in Iraq or not, I couldn't imagine that replacing our leader not long after we sent troops to Iraq represented a unified nation strong enough to fulfill what it set out to do in the Middle East. Unfortunately, Dubya's charisma, poise, and effect on the nation post-9/11 was the high-point of his career and everything else was a downward spiral - housing market crashes, the Katrina debacle, sky-rocketing fuel...should I go on?

I am the epitome of the notorious "Swing Vote." That person who can fall on either side of the party lines. A conservative on foreign policy and energy reform. A liberal on moral values and personal beliefs. In my opinion, not being loyal to a specific party makes me a much more critical voter. A much more educated voter...but again, that is my opinion. I tend to read everything I can about the candidates and their running mates. I like comparing their opinions on hot topics today to what they were over the last ten years. You'd be surprised how ALL of the candidates have flip-flopped on some issues - some small, some not so small. I will tell you where all my information gathering has gotten me - pretty much still in the middle.

I completely admire John McCain. Not only for his valor and his courage having fought and suffered for our country, but also for his abrasive ability to confront the right-wingers he feels are either not doing their job or have no right being in politics at all. I am impressed with the fact that he doesn't let party involvement muddy the waters in what he feels is the "right thing to do." However, I'm not at all happy with his opinion that Roe v. Wade should be overturned nor do I think he may physically be up for being the leader of the Free World at 72 years of age. Not that I am discriminating his age in the least, but being President has aged even the youngest of men before him in a short 4 year period of time. Check out George W. Bush...

Then you have Barrack Obama. What's not to admire about this man and his achievements? His aggressiveness for ethics reform, his demand for tax dollar accountability, how he's fought as a member of the Veteran Affairs Committee to ensure veterans receive the disability pay they deserve, and much more. On the other hand, his understanding for energy and drilling, pulling troops so quickly out of the Middle East, and healthcare reform are a bit overzealous and somewhat unrealistic to me.

So of course, I started to investigate their running mates to see if either one of them could help me make my decision. Sadly, I'm not fond of either one of them. You would think that being such an avid supporter of women's rights that I would be completely gung-ho for Sarah Palin. Au contraire! For whatever reason, there was something about Palin that I couldn't warm up to. I could care less that her 17-year-old, unmarried daughter is knocked up. I can even deal with her MAKING her daughter marry her "baby daddy". I can even embrace her extremely conservative views of anti-abortion because that's typical of the Republican ticket (even though I personally think no one should ever have control over a woman's right to choose). There was just...something.

As I was flying home from Tampa early this morning (4:30am EST / 3:30am CST wake-up call SUCKS by the way), I bought a couple of magazines at the airport since I had forgotten my book to read and started reading them inflight. In an article giving general background on Palin - painting her as both a strong woman but also having some hometown controversy - I was appalled at something I read about her. It was mentioned in passing, but I took it as a huge red flag. While serving as mayor of her town, she tried to get books banned at the library that she felt had language that was offensive. WTF? Hold up. Let me ask that again. WTF?!?!?

Banning books is such a limitation of knowledge and the freedom of accessing information that I cannot support in the least. Books are a way of expression, a way to encourage creativity, and most of all to learn. I don't even care if a book is about radical Muslim beliefs and how they hate Americans. It's still a way for us to understand the people who are so against us. We may never agree with what is in those books, but we can learn from them and maybe use it to our advantage. If the books are sexually explicit, put them in a section for 18-year-olds and up if you're THAT concerned. Some teens may even learn from those books if they have parents that refuse to discuss the issues with them personally.

All I know is that when I read that about Palin, I lost complete respect for her as a leader. How can you have a leader who wants to ban books SHE deems offensive? Wow.

Don't get me wrong. Biden isn't on the top of my list either. Although I have found him to be extremely experienced and a strong fighter for stem cell research, but I can't help but feel like they only brought him in to be the experience that Obama is lacking. I guess I need to dig a little deeper into Biden's political history and personal beliefs to formulate a better opinion. As of right now, he's just blah to me.

I guess I'll just have to pay extra attention at the debates to help me get closer to a decision. Two months to go and this swing vote is still swinging...