Voting for Dummies

I am honestly tired of the entire presidential election circus thus far. It’s not that I don’t care about the election, issues or system, I’m just tired of hearing report after report of things that quite frankly should not be included in my decision making process of who to vote for. If you know me or saw me at the Ms. Greek pageant in 2008, you’ll know that I am a HUGE American History buff/nerd. I can even sing all of the presidents, in order of term served, to the Gilligan’s Island theme song (shout out to Michael Patterson for that). So I have an appreciation for what was set up for us historically and how it was different from previous countries and how it has been pretty successful.

As per my last blog, I have many friends who have vastly different political beliefs and views. And if you think this is going to be a political debate blog, don’t worry, it won’t be. I actually like when those that have different beliefs ask me about mine, because it forces me to think about why I think the way I do about a certain issue. My beliefs are never 100% categorized into a party, and I really don’t think most people's are. Through those conversations, I understand what I think to be important to the future of this country and what will make life better for the future generations. What is important so that they can still live in the luxury of a free state. 

This is the first issue: I don’t look at what is best for me. It’s definitely hard and I have fallen into that trap. What is best for me is probably not best for most, sometimes it could be, but I’d challenge you to think about each issue and how each issue impacts the individuals within the US and how they impact other issues. All the issues are in a way, connected. The second piece of advice is to not let your emotions or passions cloud your judgment. Many people cannot have thoughtful conversations because of this. It’s hard to do, but I think once you get past that initial surge of feeling, you can begin to see where people are coming from. This isn’t changing your belief, just understanding any and all perspectives, whether you agree with them or not. Another thing to consider is that you will never have a candidate who represents your set of beliefs 100%. I wish it were the case, but it is not. That’s why some issues can be seen as “more important” than others. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are; it just means that maybe they affect more people or maybe it’s a longer term issue than another issue. Whatever the case, weighing issues is important too. 

The last point I’d like to make is that we as a country seem to typically vote for the best “actor” rather than the best fit for the position. We vote for people who look like presidents, senators, politicians, etc. who say and do the “right” things. It seems to me that candidates almost create a caricature version of themselves worthy of movies, TV and political cartoons.  Ok history nerd coming on: An example of this is the Nixon v Kennedy debate (first ever aired on television). Nixon had a horrible cold and looked horrible (he refused to wear makeup, etc.) while of course Kennedy is good looking and well spoken. The interesting thing about this debate (regardless of your affiliation) is that the majority individuals who listened to it on the radio saw Nixon as the clear winner, while those who watched it on television pegged Kennedy to win. This isn’t a slight, merely an observation. We need to understand how our perceptions and misperceptions affect us. Maybe someone who doesn’t look or act the part could be the best fit, but currently, we probably wouldn’t give them the time of day as a less qualified candidate who looks and acts like a leader. Merely an example of how perceptions change your conclusions. 

I am not saying I have all the answers, or that I addressed everything within this tiny blog. I just wish people would have shared with me these things much earlier in life. To have the self-awareness to know those tendencies is more than enough to overcome then. While this is particularly about voting, that can be applied to everything in life. Regardless of your opinions, I hope that everyone can embrace the challenge to understand exactly and explicitly why you are putting the US and its future in a set of leaders’ hands.