Voting As A Duty....

~ Ask a man which way he is going to vote, and he will probably tell you. Ask him, however, why, and vagueness is all. ~ Andrew Lack

This is an intersting quote from the man who "...transformed the [NBC] News division into the most-watched news organization." This division included NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Meet the Press, The Today Show, and Dateline NBC. "Before going to NBC, Mr. Lack spent much of his television career at CBS News, where he created and served as the executive producer of the groundbreaking newsmagazine West 57th (1985-89). He served as the senior executive producer of the landmark CBS Reports for nearly a decade (1978-85), producing acclaimed documentaries such as "People Like Us" (1982), "Teddy" with Roger Mudd, "The Boat People" (1979), "The Defense of the United States" (1981), and "Bittersweet Memories: A Vietnam Reunion" (1981). He joined CBS News in 1976 and by the next year had become a prominent producer for 60 Minutes." http://www.sonybmg.com/mgmt_andrewlack.html

I give you Mr. Lack's credentials in an effort to prove that with his experience in the news industry he must know something of which he speaks. I give you his quote, because in my own daily observations I have found it to be sadly accurate.

While growing up, the atmosphere around me was always politically charged. Many of the people in my life, the adults who helped me grow and form opinions, were very opinionated themselves. And many of their views were often conflicting. I would have one person I loved and respected espousing the platforms of the Democratic Party on one side and on the other another would be eschewing those ideas in favor of those of the Republican party. All the while both people adamantly declaring they were right and the other was wrong. I remember wondering how people who were so close could have such differing views. Who was right? Was there a "right" point of view? Was one more appropriate than the other? It was this line of questioning that led me down the path of political fascination. In some ways I became a junky. I was determined to not just listen to what my elders had to say, but to understand what exactly it was they were saying. It wasn't enough to hear that they supported a candidate, but I wanted to know why they supported that particular candidate. It was then that I learned that even among the people I loved there were narrow minds, who voted not for the person who represented their own points of view, but who more closely matched their demographic. JFK won votes in my family, not necessarily because of his domestic policy, but because he was catholic.

Almost as soon as I could vote I felt the pressure to align myself with a particular political party. Would I choose the party of my grandfather, the patriarch of the family, to whom everyone looked up and respected or would I choose the party of my uncle and [then] step-father, younger men who were closer to my own generation and, therefore, perhaps more in tune with the times. Afraid to incite ill will, I chose not to choose and when I did, I kept it quiet, fearing that by embracing the conservative ideals of the Republican party I would be seen to be thumbing my nose at the hard working class ideals of my grandfather's Democratic party.

My choice to align myself with the Republican party was based on the ideals of former great Republicans, beginning with Abraham Lincoln. To do what was right and make our country strongly united in the face of adversity was the overall ideal I embraced. I thought I had changed from the young teenager that was a fringe supporter of Greenpeace, who was a stereotypical "liberal". It turns out, though, that the Republican party of our forefathers is not the same as today's. I found many of my personal views did not align with the Republican Party line of thinking. The more I dug into candidates and political offical's points of view and the platforms they support, the more I realized I did not belong to any party necessarily. It was then I realized the importance of not voting for party or demographic, but for the person or people who represented me as closely as possible.

If you ask me why I vote for whom I vote, I can tell you why. It is important to me that the person running the free world represents ME. It should be just as important to you. Can you tell me why you voted for your candidate? Actually, let me ask you, can you tell me how your candidate stands on specific issues without reverting to a 60-minute commercial he/she supported on T.V.? The muck-raking, negativity found in most political adds cannot be relied upon to showcase a candidates point of view or entire campaign. The time frame is too short and they are really just meant to shout, "Vote For Me!". If you can't tell me beyond what you saw in commercials or even heard in one or two debates why you voted for your candidate, you should do your homework.

In this world of ever-growing technology there are no ends to the means by which we can gather information. By the very fact you are reading this blog I can confirm you at least are familiar with the internet. Use it! Research your candidate, your issue, the amendment, or proposition that is being put to vote. Your vote does matter so make it count.

If you Google "Political Issues", you will get over 40M results. Pick one or pick many. On the right I have updated the links to include my favorite, OnTheIssues.org, which professes to include "Every Political Leader On Every Issue". To get your political aplomb under way, click on the link and click on the candidate you voted for. Look at their voting history and how they have changed over the years. Are you surprised? Click on the "Quizzes" tab and take the VoteMatch Quiz of 2008. Each line item is a hyperlink which will take you to a page that clearly explains not only the issue but what everything from "Strongly Supporting" to "Strongly Opposing" the issue really means. There are only 20 questions, so take the time to read each link and choose your answer carefully based on how you really feel. Then score your quiz. Are you surprised by the results? Is this who you voted for?

"And Vagueness Is All...."