Is it me, or does this election cycle seem way more intense than ever before? The inherent problem with every election is that no matter what the outcomes are, many people are…let’s just say, not happy.
If you follow my emails, you know that I don’t write about politics per se, but lately, I have been touching on some hot button issues and hot button issues get people’s blood boiling, particularly these days. Here’s what I say to that—good! Our political system works not because of agreement, but because it provides an ordered process for our disagreements—we vote. November 3rd is an opportunity for us to go out and vote for who we feel will lead us towards the best path forward and, if history repeats itself, slightly more or less than half of our fellow citizens will disagree with us. Wow, consider that for a minute. No matter what your politics are and no matter how deeply you believe in them, roughly half the country will disagree with you.
The strength of our representative democracy is that it promotes debate and provides us with a choice. One of the things that we, the people, have to keep in mind is that there is another side that gets a choice as well. When our side loses an election, we, by design, are conceding to the democratic process that our path wasn’t the democratic choice—this doesn’t mean it was the wrong choice, just not right for enough people (or, our side didn’t do their job well enough). That is the compromise that we make living in a democracy—like it or not, and most of us don’t like it but realize, that ultimately, it has worked better than the alternatives. And, while the results of the election don’t magically change our beliefs, we accept them and move on with our lives (except for the press and the politicians.)
I’ve been around long enough to know that when it comes to elections, you win some and you lose some. Losing never feels good, however, I will accept the outcome and if the outcome is wrong, I’ll work towards helping to ensure that things are rectified in the next election. I’ve had several people, friends actually, tell me that it was my duty to make my politics known and use my voice and soapbox to promote these views. I disagree. I get one vote. I’ll cast that vote at the booth. Where I hope to make an impact is not in telling anyone on this email who to vote for, but simply to remind us all (because we get frustrated and need reminding sometimes) that we do live in a great country but it’s up to us to keep it that way. We need to exercise our right to vote for what we believe in while at the same time, respect that our fellow citizens have the same right. We can be passionate about our beliefs without infringing on anyone else’s rights. And those who cross this line are not patriots, they are criminals/enemies and they are responsible for breaking down the process that our freedom has been built upon. I have fought before and would proudly fight again, not in support of my political party, but in support of my constitution and my country.
