Election Day is Here with Gray Areas on Voting Minds
By Christina Madison, staff writer, political columnist – November 2, 2010
We are at the halfway point, the vulnerable time when political seasons are changing in the midterm elections.
We have endured a myriad of hate-filled sentiments from political parties, some whose intentions are obviously merely for shock-value purposes. We have heard of the backdoor negotiations by certain ex-presidents. What can we gather from this political season?
Well, for one, it was fraught with violent imagery and opinion: violence against women, hate-filled language, sexism and gluttonous individual and corporate interest – as if there is a strong, delineating line between good and evil. But good and evil are still subjective to whatever political party you belong to, or at least closely matches your personal beliefs.
It is as if we were all walking through a political campaign-themed haunted house, weeding through corpses of promises, finding our way through smoke screens, dodging the zombies of anti-whatever opinion.
Who will come to save the day?
The right wing says it will be God, because God is on their side. The left wing says that they see evil in the conservative’s so-called God-loving ways, hiding behind the cloak and cross, doing dirty deeds with taxpayer money. However, is it the same freedom of choice that inevitably binds us as a nation? The ultimate questions are: “What freedoms do we really hold?” and “Who holds the power?”
The people in this nation are responding and coalescing, and not in the manner that is stereotypical and black-and-white. Yes, there are limited parties from which to choose, and anyone teetering from one side to the next is still waiting for that Hail Mary pass to choose a side.
California’s Proposition 23, the “Dirty Energy Proposition”, is funded by Texas oil, which seeks to repeal the state’s clean energy and environmental protection laws. Prop 23 has succeeded in getting people from all walks of life – no matter race or class – to reject it. Supporters for this green path range from inter-faith leaders, to the rich, the famous and social justice organizations.
There are also The New Americans, who will be responding resoundingly against anti-immigration laws and politicians. The New Americans comprise of the children of immigrants from the post-1965 immigration wave and other immigrants who have been naturalized. They are gaining their citizenship in droves and are expected to change the political landscape in their states.
Remember, Americans are varied and diverse as their viewpoints and experiences. It is impossible to know someone’s opinion just because he or she fits a certain stereotype.
For example, “The Rachel Maddow Show” ran into the owner of the Mad Man Army Surplus store in Las Vegas. The man was a former Sharron Angle supporter, but stated he was changing his vote because of her anti-immigration campaign. “I think this country belongs to everybody, not just one group of people,” he said.
What about the voter who is voting for a Democrat in state and local elections but will be casting a vote for a Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate race? What about the disabled Vietnam veteran who has been married to the same woman for 40 years, who has a gay son with a long-term partner that the man considers part of his family? How would he feel about gay marriage and gays in the military now? It is not so black-and-white.
Then again, which candidate or party will reach the American people who normally don’t turn out for the midterm elections? Is the idea of the Republicans taking over the Senate and House enough to get people out to vote one way or another?
It is now time for nail biting and hair pulling as the votes are cast and counted. Will we see the changing faces and changing hearts of America get re-arranged through a GOP election? Will the diverse voices of America be reflected somehow into some concrete language, into something tangible?
Sources
1) http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44501.html
2) http://ndn.org/paper/2010/american-electorate-21st-century-poll-presentation
3) http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/13/local/la-me-0813-gay-marriage-california-20100813
4) http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/A-new-American-citizen-s-voice-and-vote-559884.php
5) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show#39920093
6) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show
7) http://sharronangle.com/about
8 ) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/van-jones/a-beautiful-coalition-aga_b_775901.html
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