November 2nd is approaching at a rapid pace, and the battle lines are already clearly drawn. As an astute friend of mine pointed out, the candidates have essentially given up on the undecided voter, and have decided to preach to the choir for the home stretch. I feel like composing a lament as I view the effects of this election taking place. Yes, I realize that whoever is elected, the world will continue to turn. The grass will not become blue and the sky green on January 20th. But this election is a significant event in American history and will be remembered and analyzed for some time to come. I see great societal implications from this mess we have allowed ourselves to get into.

First, I want to lament the lack of critical thinking on the part of the electorate. I think that the few undedided voters remaining shows that this election was decided a long time ago. This is more of a culture war than an election, and it demonstrates the increasing polarization that is taking place in our society. The candidates are merely icons for a certain ideology, which I truly believe neither of them really support. Many "progressives" and disenfranchised radical-types have chosen to rally behind John Kerry. The "progressive" radio station in Portland broadcasts nothing but Kerry stumps all day long. I ask, why? Social contract liberalism seems to be rooted in very different philosophy than radical libertarianism. And then we see the "Christians" backing Bush (further drawing the line between the Christian culture and everyone else). But Bush's "compassionate conservativism" is pretty liberal in my eyes -- not just from a tax-and-spend perspective, but from the stance that one group of thinkers believes they have found the solution to everyone else's problems. Christians want to rally around this because they see it like the gospel -- but this is a very different beast. Bush administration policy is not the gospel and I fear that many have been duped into thinking it is due to the personal identification with the man himself and his faith.

To summarize, it seems that people from both sides of the coin have found figureheads in these two candidates, who seem to represent their views but under close scrutiny fall far short of the mark. Can we not think critically, and examine the platforms for what they are? And can we truly vote our consciences? I simply cannot accept the status quo acceptance mentality. "At the end of the day, either Bush or Kerry will end up in the White House, so you might as well pick the one you hate the least." What a defeatist statement! At the end of the day, my conscience and my decisions are a matter of significance between no one save God and myself. God will remain soveriegn despite the results of any election -- don't play to the status quo simply because it seems the logical thing to do. Such logic was engineered by partisan politicans.

This entry was posted by 141NYC, on Saturday, October 16, 2004. You can leave your response.