My Short Political Career
The life of a politician is no life for me. I tried it a few times back in Junior High. I ran for Student Council. I didn't win, but I kept trying for a few years. I never won an election, but I did end up on the Dumas High School Student Council during my first year in high school after the person who won the election moved or dropped out or had a baby or something. I like being in charge, but I much prefer to be appointed to office as was the case with all other leadership positions I have held over the years.
Day in the Life of a Politician
It can't be easy to be continually in the spotlight; every utterance dissected and interpreted a thousand different ways; having to see your face pasted across every possible medium and all of the other uncomfortable, prickly situations that are just a day in the life of a politician.
Yet year after year, citizens feel compelled to run for municipal, county, state and federal offices; each with his or her own ideas about how things should be run. And this is a good thing. This is what having a democracy is all about. Thank God for these brave souls and their families who are willing to be placed under the microscope in hopes of bettering our country, if they win the election.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Unless you live under a rock or in my house, you have been bombarded by millions of political ads, which will continue until every last polling place has closed on Tuesday, Nov. 2nd. Our non-TV-watching household has managed to avoid all ads except print ads mailed to us. While most advertisements seem like a waste of time and money, there are a few good ones out there that make valid, thought-provoking points and actually aid the voters in making a decision at the polls. Here are some of the best and worst political advertisements, according to www.humanevents.com.
Agree to Disagree
Politics is an area that many friends and family just agree to disagree about, and that is what I hope we can do here. As I have said, in general, I'm quite liberal, yet I do take a look at both sides and weigh the options carefully when it comes to voting. During this mid-term election season, there are a wide range of issues that I think could greatly impact families depending upon the election results on Tuesday.
Whether you vote straight Democrat or Republican or bounce around between Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents; whether you live in CA, IA or MA or any other state; whether you agree wholeheartedly with me or do not stand with me on one single issue, these election topics could affect you and your families.
The Issues
Some of the big issues are obvious:
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Economy: It's no surprise that one of the biggest issues is the economy. The Republicans blame Democrats for the "failed stimulus" and other economic policies. In conjunction with this argument Republicans are backing candidates with big business experience. Democrats counter this argument with blaming big business and the previous administration.
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Healthcare: Voters are confused and/or disgruntled about the healthcare bill. The future of the healthcare system depends on the outcome of these elections. I plan to post more specifically about various parts of the new Healthcare laws in the near future.
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Tea Party: While the Tea Party movement has captured the attention of the country and did well in the primaries, it remains to be seen how the so-called "Tea Party" candidates will fare in the general election. In the primaries, many Tea Party endorsed candidates beat established, career Republican contenders. This may be a pitfall for the Republicans come Tuesday. Will Republican voters, and perhaps others, actually vote the extremely conservative, small government advocating, Tea Partiers into office? We shall see tomorrow.
A few other issues that may have escaped your attention:
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California's Proposition 19: Prop 19 is the effort to legalize marijuana, and is also known as Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act 2010. If approved by the voters, this act will legalize the sale, possession, use and growth of marijuana under certain circumstances. The bill also allows the cities and state to regulate and tax the sale and use of marijuana. Not surprisingly, this bill has attracted the attention of many young voters. California voters are not the only ones who have such a bill on the ballot: AZ, SD and OR will be voting on the legalization of marijuana for medical use. It will be interesting to see how Prop 19 fares. And if it passes, it will be interesting to follow this topic to see if regulating the amount sold and grown and places where it can be consumed affects the war on drugs, etc. Click here for more information on California Proposition 19 .
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Campaign to Unseat Iowa Justices: This one is most distressing to me. There's a conservative campaign to unseat 3 IA Supreme Court Justices who joined a 7-0 opinion ruling that a state law limiting marriage to between a man and a woman violated the constitutional rights of equal protection. Those campaigning to remove the justices have spent over $650,000 on this agenda, much of it has come from out of state since the organizations spearheading this movement are from out of state.
So, why does the American Family Association in Mississippi care what the IA Supreme Court justices are doing? Well, apparently these ultra conservative groups are worried that other courts might get the same idea which would lead to more states allowing same sex couples to legally get married, and this scares them to death.
What bothers me about this is that these groups are retaliating at these justices for doing what they are supposed to do; interpret the law and decide cases based on their interpretations. They are advocating that these justices lose their jobs because they decided a case in a way that offends these groups. It's a scare tactic to warn other justices in other states. It's dirty politics. And by the way, IA has never once ousted a Supreme Court Justice up for re-election.
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State Gubernatorial Races: There are 37 states and 2 U.S. territories with Gubernatorial elections set for Tuesday. According to CBS news, the 2010 Census means that after this election many states will see their number of House seats in Washington change. Texas could gain as many as three seats, while Ohio could lose two. Who controls those states could change who controls Congress for the next decade. Because of this, Democrats are fighting hard and have a strong incumbent in Ohio and strong challengers in Texas, where Governor Rick Perry's approval is sliding. It's been a while since Texas had a Democrat Governor, but it could happen.
For more information on the issues, the candidates and the voters, click here for the New York Times political page.
The Scoop
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 2nd, is the day you vote, which means you have one more day to do your homework and decide which candidates best represent what's important to you. Don't forget to check the address of your voting precinct before you head out to vote.
And if you don't vote, you should. I can remember every detail of the very first time I voted. It was November 1992. I went with my parents. I was so proud to have achieved this rite of passage to adulthood and to have contributed to the democracy of my country. The right to vote is a tremendous privilege and responsibility we as American citizens possess.
If you are not registered to vote, check with your state. Some states, like Minnesota, allow you to register at the polls the day of the elections and vote right then and there. Other states will allow you to register at any time, but you may not be able to vote on Tuesday. Either way, get registered to vote. If you don't vote, you have no right to complain about our government or its policies.
Do you remember the first time you voted? How do you decide who to vote for? What issues have you been paying attention to? How do you impress upon your children the importance of voting?
On Thursday, I will post on the best ways to contact a state and federal representative and be heard about a relevant issue that you feel strongly about. I will be contacting some MN state and federal representatives in the course of researching this topic. Over and out…
Anna
You might also like:
The Unintended Result: When "Good" Laws Go Awry
The "Unambiguous" Right to Remain Silent: Changes to the Miranda Warning; Berghuis v. Thompkins
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