Posted by
Bob Siegel on Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:04:11 AM
Yes, it’s that wonderful, delightful time of the election year when both
candidates court those coveted independents. You know, the ones who are neither
Republican nor Democrat. Supposedly, being an independent is a badge of honor.
After all, these are the non-partisans. They just care about the issues.
Indeed, they may actually be more intelligent than the rest of us.
Allow me to put forth a question that begs to be asked: Why do we keep
rolling over and playing dead for these people?
I understand that politicians need their vote. But it’s frightening and
uncanny how much power they have. Think about it. Those who have difficulty
making up their minds will decide the fate of the country for the next four
years. Maybe if we didn’t kiss up to them so much, each citizen would be forced
to choose a party by first learning what the party actually stands for. In fact, they might just develop some genuine
convictions. Instead these pampered pals
hold the election hostage year after year, viewing debates from special rooms,
hooked up with the latest electronic gadgets that register their disapproval
when one candidate raised his voice too much or another wore a crooked tie.
In this corner, the liberal agenda! In that corner, the conservatives!
Serving as a judge who will call the game for us; people void of convictions
and filled with a fickleness tossed back and forth by the wind.
Before I continue, I have certainly met some true independents, people familiar
with the world we live in and frustrated with the hypocrisy that often
characterizes both parties. But frankly,
I see this wing of the independents as an exception.
I remember, years ago, listening to a woman explain to me why she was not
going to vote for George Bush Senior as president. It was because of his
running mate, Dan Quayle. “There’s no way I’m voting for him. He can’t even
spell the word, potato.”
Now
mind you, this woman knew nothing about what was going on in the
country and would have been unable to explain the philosophical
difference
between a Democrat or a Republican. The only thing she knew about this
election, and I mean THE ONLY THING SHE KNEW ABOUT THIS ELECTION was
that Quayle
couldn’t spell the word potato. Dan Quayle, supposedly, was too stupid for the Oval Office, even though he graduated
law school and served in the National Guard before becoming a US Senator.
The very idea of somebody voting in any election based upon that kind of reasoning,
yet smugly patting themselves on the back, saying “He’s too stupid for my vote,”
creates a rather scary irony. And yet, these are the ones being wooed by
presidential hopefuls.
Speaking as one individual, I’m tired of hearing what the “independents”
think. Why? Because many of them cannot think.
Doesn’t matter. They hold election lightening at their fingertips.