If you are from Chicago you are a Democrat it has been said. If you are from Texas you are a Republican.
What the politicians have been banking on for years is the general population like to root for things. We don't like losing so what the general public does is identify themselves as Democrat or Republican, Left or Right, Conservative or Liberal. Often times when I am having a political discussion with on or the other side of the line I will ask a question for clarity on why a person has a certain stance on an issue.
The response I get most often? "Because I am a (fill in political party here) it's what we believe."
Most can not answer why they just stand by their party line.
Here is my take, I am conservative on most issues, liberal on a few. That is just the way I think. I tend to vote right, but have not always voted for a right party candidate if I feel the other candidate will better represent my beliefs. That is the way I feel this country will prosper the most. No candidate who has ever run has seen eye to eye with my beliefs 100% so it is my responsibility to find the best fit.
My responsibility as an American, and my responsibility to my countrymen.
The problem I see here is we now have voters who vote based on their experience with watching reality television, or news channels, there isn't much original thought going on here. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves on the issues. Too often that is not the case, again the answer I get most often is because that is what my party wants.
America, what do YOU want? That is why we have a voting process. Tragically it has turned more into a "you will vote this way" policy. I have some amazing friends on both of the political spectrum who do educate themselves on the issues and I enjoy the back and forth in our discussions. What happens though when educated people get together and discuss issues is that sometime you can agree to disagree, but most times someone from one side will make a very strong argument for one side that makes great sense, and the other can not come up with an argument against it. Everyone knows what was just said makes sense.
By the political parties treating us as "sheep" or people without free thought is each side has dug themselves further against each other. The original idea behind the two party system was for a more streamlined government. When one side proved not able to get the job done, they could be voted out and replaced by the other who had similar but slightly different ideas. Government never missed a beat and went on.
Obama's "Change" campaign was brilliant, yet dangerous. It did play to millions of Americans who were not happy with the way things were going. The idea of electing someone who promised change sounded great, we were in a recession, fighting two wars, losing brave soldiers. Who wouldn't want change?
The danger in the "Change" message that I saw is it was identifying that the two parties are now so far apart on issues that a streamlined government no longer existed. Changing something means that the ideas from one side to the other are separated by miles not feet.
What we have seen is even more gridlocking, one side took control the other fought back, and what I see now is one party always is the underdog. Americans love an underdog, it's a great place to be. What we should be asking is not for fundamental change for change sake, we should be asking for a candidate who will lead us as a nation closer together. Obama's message was just that, what happened is it drove us farther apart. It could just well be time for a third party to rise up be it libertarians, tea party, green or any other party. I just pray that party can make the moves to draw us together before we, as a nation find ourselves fighting a second civil war because from everything I see there are parallels to that time period happening right now as I type
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