As a registered Democrat, the thought of the Democratic Primary gets me all excited on the inside. The fact that there are ten candidates—all whose names are preceded by Senator, Congressman, Governor, Ambassador, or Reverend—tells me something about the state of not just the Democratic party, but also the Republican party. And while I’m at it, I’ll say it says something about the Green party, too. People are looking for change.
This was also evident in the recent California recall election, which took place specifically to give voters a chance to change the way the government in California was operating. And change they did! We now have everyone’s favorite kindergarten cop running one of the more influential states in our country. This isn’t an Arnold-bashing article, however—though I do find his election to be quite appropriate as the governor of the world’s epicenter of film entertainment—and I respect the majority’s voting to install him in his position.
But it doesn’t change anything.
Gray Davis, George Bush, Hillary Clinton…call me pessimistic, but it doesn’t matter if we remove any of them from their office. There is always another politician to take their place, whether they come in the form of a Republican actor or a Governor from Vermont. When I listen to a candidate, I feel it is my duty to decipher their words. Are they saying what I want to hear and neglecting their proposed stance on an important issue? Are they simply repeating what everyone else is saying? Do they really want to change the way things are being done? Is this a person I want in control of any part of the government that controls me?
I did not vote for Bush, and will probably make that same choice again next year. Before then, however, I have to vote for whom I think, out of ten people in the United States, could compete against our current leader. Hopefully, they will better represent what I feel are important opinions, and accomplish goals that I feel are positive for all society and actually feasible. I will not forget before that time, however, that they are all still politicians, and they just might be vying for my vote—and healthy donations—more than they are moving to change and improve the country I live in.
