So Confused

Remember Pat on Saturday Night Live who was always so confused?  Well, that’s me the day before the election.  I’ve heard the debates, read ad nauseam, listened to the talking heads on TV and still am not sure which presidential candidate would really be the best choice for all Americans.

Both candidates agree that the political system is broken, and with the parties being so polarized my bet is that it will stay that way until someone makes a really honest effort at working both sides of the aisle.   That causes me to wonder if Obama is capable of accomplishing that or has he burned so many bridges that it is impossible.  Should that be the case, is Romney a better choice?  Ah, more cause for confusion.

There are so many issues that will be influenced by this election.  I would like to think the economy is at the top of the list, but jobs, education, the appointment of Supreme Court judges, Roe v. Wade, health care, foreign relations, etc., etc., etc. are also there, and I haven’t heard from either candidate statements that would make me think he has the answers. Still confused? You bet.

One of the things that makes me saddest about this or any recent election is that candidates have to take a stand on social issues like women’s health and equality or same sex marriage.  In my opinion, those are common sense decisions based on equal opportunity and should not be politicized.

My decision on who to vote for is certainly not influenced by the amount of money spent on the campaign.  Even though the funding comes from private donations, the gross expenditures are not easy to stomach.  I can’t help but wonder what donors hope to gain in return or to imagine how much better that money could be spent if it were donated to worthy causes.

Enough!  As I think about pushing the button tomorrow, I get more confused.  Part of me doesn’t want to vote, but that being such a privilege, I know that staying away is not the right thing to do.  No matter who I vote for or who is elected, I have confidence that the election will be a peaceful process and for that I am very grateful.

If you are solidly a Republican or a Democrat, it is likely you have no problem choosing a candidate, but for those of us who are in the middle, I believe the choice is a little more difficult.  Are any of you finding the same to be true?

i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind

19 thoughts on “So Confused

  1. Agree with paragraph 4. Every nut with his particulars thinks the constitution should be amended to certify in some way his subset of population .

    1. It’s a crazy world we live in.

  2. It seems you speak for a lot of people, and do it well. I have always been an independent voter (before it had a capital I) but for some reason I feel confident that Gov Romney is the best hope. One of my biggest concerns is the ability to reach across party lines. It is the only way things will get accomplished – in many ways Congress has more power than the president. President Obama has had four years to find a way to get along but has not been able to lead that effort. I also find myself thinking a little more conservatively as I get older and do not want government involvement in my personal life and health I think both candidates truly want the best for the country but my gut instincts are with the Repbulicans this time. Good luck to you in your decision.

    1. I agree with you about not wanting an abundance involved in my life.

  3. What a lively and intelligent discussion here (as opposed to Facebook where everyone is being really opinionated and stupid right now)! I have been conflicted since this whole election process started nearly two years ago. It’s hard to know what to believe and who to trust. But like you, I feel that my vote is still important and that to not vote would be throwing away my right as a citizen. So I am making the best decision I can, based on the facts I can garner (and a little bit of a gut reaction). In the morning we will wake up and our lives will go on…

    Everyone, please vote!

  4. We have watched all the debates from afar no wonder you are confused! I have a cure though its called vote and then pour a large glass of wine!!

    1. I’m having the wine and awaiting the results.

  5. You spoke my every thought.

  6. It isn’t a tough one for me this year!

  7. I relate 100%….thanks

  8. Amen, Alycia. So perfectly said.

  9. I am not a dyed-in-the-wool Republican or Democrat. I tend to be more of an issue voter. It can really be tough to choose. I don’t make my decisions based on emotion or public opinion or who’s the best looking (although I can do that all day long re: football! :-)) I really look at the FACTS. Not conjecture or rumor or unfounded notions. My Mother is a retired Senator and my Dad was long involved in grassroots politics in Kansas City/Jackson County. I never felt any obligation to vote for members/issues the party my parents represented or anything that was against my personal values and beliefs. When that “mob mentality” takes over and wild accusations start to fly about one candidate or another, it’s always amazing to me how crazy and out-of-hand it can get. One seed is planted, and the squawk starts to swell out of control. The candidates and pushers of various issues don’t make it any better by approving messages they know in their hearts and minds to be untrue. When the only goal is to win or to put one party ahead of another, it is always going to prove divisive. I hear the candidates ramble on about “the American people” this and the “citizens of this great country” that. Guess what, guys? We are ALL the American people. “We the people”, remember? That includes Republicans/conservatives, Democrats/liberals, Independents, rich, poor, black, white, young, old, single, married, healthy, sick, employed, unemployed, educated, un- or under-educated….it means ALL of us. “We the people.” Our candidates on all levels would do themselves, our country, the world, and last but not least “We the people” a great service if they would stop the pettiness, the rhetoric, and the backstabbing long enough to understand that it can’t always tilt completely left or completely right. Sometimes for the good of the nation, depends on knowing how to gracefully navigate that balance beam of compromise.

    1. How beautifully you have articulated my very feelings! As you know, I have also served in an elected position and found compromise to be a great attribute. I suspect we will all be. On the edge of our seat tomorrow night.

  10. LuLu, for me, it is obvious. Everything President Obama said that he would do…he did the opposite. Everything he promised would happen, the opposite happened. Listen to the things he says and then watch the things he does…opposites. He accuses republicans of doing the things that he is actually doing. Just look at the Benghazi attack…four dead Americans….how many times has the story changed? (And if the story changes, which time did he lie?) If Obama was a republican, the media would have told the truth about all the lies, breaking of laws, violating the Constitution and Obama would already be impeached and in prison…but he is not. For me, this is a very simple decision because I looked at this intellectually, not emotionally….just the opinion of a simple, village undertaker.

    1. One of the things about the campaign that has made me uncomfortable is how many times a finger has been appointed at one of the candidates and he has been accused of lying. Is truth no longer a value?

  11. Ah LInda dear, if you’re voting in Texas, I’m afraid it’s over for you. The electoral votes will go to Mr. Romney. I am interested in having elections where each vote of a citizen has equal weight, so I’ll be writing my representatives regularly about abolishing the Electoral College.

    1. The notion that the popular vote can’t carry an election doesn’t please me either. Thanks for your input.

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