The next time I was truly enthused about a candidate, was in 1968 when his brother, Bobby Kennedy, was running for the Oval Office. This time my enthusiasm was shattered when he was shot and killed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California Primary. And while my vote had helped him win here, I would never get the chance to vote for him on a national ballot.
As for all the presidential campaigns after that, they simply boiled down to voting for the least objectionable candidate on the ballot, or whoever I deemed to be the best of the worst. No enthusiasm, no real political passion, just a personal exercise in fulfilling my voting franchise as a good citizen. How sad a comment is that?
These days, my readers know I view most politicians as corruptible, feed-at-the-public-trough, special interest ass kissers whose main work ethic is positioning themselves for the next election. And the only thing more distasteful than them, are the surrogate creeps that “spin” their every word in an attempt to stay on whatever script the campaign feels will make them look good, and garner future votes. In this campaign the BS has been going on for well over a year, and it’s either turned most people’s brains into mush, or just turned them off completely.
I could list a page of other things I hate about elections in general, but one stands out as the most upsetting of all. If you’re a moderate or conservative in a state like California these days, the vote you cast on election day is absolutely a wasted effort. I mean, left coast pollsters could accurately predict winners and losers by simply asking ME who or what I just voted for. That’s because I almost always end up on the losing side, whether it‘s for a specific candidate, a bond issue, or a statewide Proposition. Oh, what I’d give to live in one of those “swing” states like Ohio, where I could at least embrace the illusion that MY vote will make a difference. Here, NOT voting left of center is like peeing in the ocean and expecting to see it rise.
So what am I going to do in this election? Obviously, I’ll bike down to my local polling place and vote as I always do. But perhaps if I was smart, I’d service my bicycle, pack a huge lunch, and start peddling my ass off towards Ohio. And were I to make it there alive, coherent, and on time, maybe for the first time in many years I’d feel like my vote was actually going to count for something.
As to who will get my vote this year, let me tell you a story like one I might use in the Elementary classroom:
“Pretend, Boys and Girls, I inherited an old house that was falling apart, and I hired a contractor who convinced me he was SO DARN GOOD, that in four years my old house would be returned to good or better condition. When the time was up, however, the house looked pretty much the same, even though the nice contractor had been on the job every day, and spent more money than I actually had. Beyond that, some of the house looked even worse than it had when he first started, and his only explanation was that the bid he had won turned out to be VERY difficult. Seems like he’d need four more years to deliver on his promises and fulfill the contract.
Now, this contractor was certainly a nice guy, and convincing in his promises to do better. But the fact was, I had had to live in the broken down house during the first four years of his “fixing up” efforts, and that had been very hard on me, my family, and the neighborhood. So the thought of having to do the same for another four years, plus me steadily losing confidence that this man and his company were even able to do the job, I turned to “Angie’s List” to find another contractor who might fix my house more quickly, and do it effectively.
In the process I heard about someone who claimed to have strong rebuilding credentials, and confidence in his ability to turn projects like mine around. Realizing he certainly couldn’t do worse than the first contractor, common sense said to let the first one go and hire the replacement… with hopes that he and his workers could accomplish what the first hadn’t, or perhaps couldn’t. In short, Boys and Girls, it was nothing personal. My switch of contractors was a simple business decision based on practical necessity.”
That said, Columnist Hal Lancaster once wrote this line that seems to sum it all up: “Getting fired is nature’s way of telling you that you had the wrong job in the first place.” Based on that, and despite my dismal winning record, let’s just say that this year I’m voting as a serious environmentalist… with a willingness to do what I can to help Mother Nature out!
That’s how the Paisano sees it, lose or win. And, OH, by the way… don’t forget to honk if you pass me peddling east to Ohio!
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