The
above comic pretty much sums up what I began feeling last night as the
DNC kicked off in Denver. The Olympics just ended. I would have preferred the DNC to be broadcast in two weeks. Just a small break, mixed in with the beginning of the fall tv line up, before I am accosted night and day with "live coverage from Denver!" However, it is only a few days, and I did watch last night. I saw Teddy Kennedy's intro by his niece and his speech, and even stayed up to watch Mrs. Obama's lovely talk. She's a great speaker, but didn't really surprise me with her speech. Of course she is going to back her husband. Of course she is going to tell tales of how much she admired her parents and the blue collar workers. What else could she say? It was heartfelt and inspiring. So, about half way during the speech I began cleaning up the house and getting ready for bed, when out of nowhere, because I had diverted my attention away from the DNC, my husband asked me when I became such a cynic. Really? Because I don't want to glorify every single Dem I'm a cynic? Well, I have things to do; so be it. I know who I'm voting for, and it hasn't been pretty speeches that swayed me. It's the issues. Education. War.
ERA (hey, remember that old gender-equality agenda that has never been passed in Congress?). Health care. The Economy.
I'm a registered Democrat. A pretty strong one in that I agree with the majority of the party's ideals and support the candidates. I've been a registered voter since I was 18 and vote in town elections for the person I think can do the best job. I was a Hillary supporter but she lost. Bummer, cause I think she would have been a great president, but it's in the past. The Democrats now need to form a cohesive front that will beat the Republican candidate, Mr. John "Pro-Life, but I want a VP who is Pro-Choice because I can't stand up for what I really think because I risk losing the Christian Conservative voters of middle America" McCain. I don't agree with everything Obama is pushing in his agenda, but honestly, I do think it's better than the Republican party's ideals--and not to mention their already blossoming
smear campaign against Obama and Biden.
I hope Obama wins. If he loses though, I'm hoping it won't be to McCain. Instead, I would be ok with a smaller party coming on strong and swaying the public over to their side. The Green Party. The Libertarians. I think this two-party system is a bit limiting in choice. American hasn't always been the Democrat/Republican duality that we know today. First there were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists became the Democrat-Republican party, which are the contemporary Democrats, making the Dems the oldest party in the country. The modern Republicans were formed in 1854 in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Abraham Lincoln was the first contemporary Republican elected president. All two parties though. There was a short time in history when more than two fought for the ballot. These other parties over the years often developed during "political crisis" (such as the Civil War) and included the Whigs, the Free Soil Party, the Liberty Party, Green Party, and the American Party.
There's more too. Alot more.
One of my favorites is the
Libertarian party (founded in the 1970s), has Barr and Root are running in
this election. Small government, low taxes, more freedoms. I can see how Libertarian ideals don't work on the scale of the entire US though. But perhaps it could. For all the change and hope that the Dems are pushing right now, I think that in order for change to really occur in this country it has to be big. When I came across the
38-State Map, I thought that it could be the first step in redefining this country. Voted down in Congress in the mid-1970s, this map aimed to correct the districting issues of the Electoral College and the concentration of populous in cities versus the sparsity of people in the Midwestern areas of the US. I think it was just pushed at the wrong time. 1976 was the 300th anniversary of the founding of our country. Not a great time to change the map again. But, perhaps this is the type of change the US really needs. After all, as a resident of Plymouth, I'm pretty sure I would still be within the Bostonian-belt of civilization.
But, until that day comes, I'm sure that my vote for Obama will start a change that will make this country stronger.
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