Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Clear Blue Water

Let me just start off this blog with stating someting, I love politics. I minored in political science in college along with public relations because I wanted to run political campaigns. I wanted to write speeches and be part of the team that gets behind a great candidate and helps promote the beliefs we all share. I campaigned in college during the presidential election, I worked the phone bank making calls on behalf of the local county commission candidate. I proudly wore my candidates button everywhere I went. I joined politcal groups, I rallied, and I encouraged others to do the same. I watched the last two inagurations like some watch the Oscars. I knew all the faces and names. When I went to D.C. in high school, my friend Lora and I had our pictures made with statues of William Jennings Bryan and got starstruck when we passed the office of the Senate Minorty Whip. I love politics....

Having said that, though, even with my passion for the stuff, lately it's putting a foul tast in my mouth. I'm tired of it. I really am. I'm tired of this presidential election. Doesn't it seems like it's been going on for years?Our entire country is almost completely divided in half. I'm tired of the polarizing effect that the election is having on people. It's stressful. It's a taboo topic with friends and coworkers. No one seems to accept the other person's opinion anymore. No one seems happy. I realize this is all just part of what's going on the world today. There's wars, bad economies, people without jobs, high gas prices, global warming...and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. That's not going to magically change, no matter who is elected in November.

My political leanings or opinions are not important. I'm not going to use my blog to force them on anyone because I really don't want to read anyone else's opinions on this. It won't change my mind and I don't expect I can change anyone else's. Everyone has to make their own decision. I urge you to do your research. Being in public relations, I KNOW how the ads and speeches are spun to make the other look the worst. Check on the facts, don't take them out of context. Don't listen to the pundits, be it Hannity & Colmes, Bill Maher or John Stewart. Go to each candidates website, find the issues that matter to you and find out who will take the action you want to see.

It's something I'll be praying for....

Clear Blue Water - Originally a term from competitive rowing referring to an obvious gap between the leading boat and those following. In more recent years it has been used allusively to mean the discernable distance between the ideologies of two political parties.

2 comments:

Tiffany Norris said...

Thank you for this post! I am seriously unhappy with both selections this year, and, as a fellow fan of the whole political process in general, it's disgruntling. Oh, well.

Anonymous said...

Keep the faith, Ashley. In the 1980's, we had a nasty economy, gas troubles, the freaking Cold War, etc., yet in 2008, we fondly remember the decade of excess with programs like "I love the 80's!"