Politically Stranded
What does it feel like to be without a political identity? I thought I had an identity many years ago. I believed in a country that cherished entrepreneurship and innovation, that the best route to a prosperous society was in providing opportunity through education, and that people should be left to their own devices to pursue their dreams and take responsibility for their choices. There was no term called “moderate Republican” back then, but in this political age that probably best describes my politics.
I do not fit in anywhere anymore. In the local NJ community, the Republican base has been taken over by extremists. In NYC, Republicans are simply Democrats with more business friendly policies. On the national scene, moderates are an endangered species in politics. First, there was the influx of Evangelical Christians in the 80’s and 90’s, and then came the Tea Partyists pulling ever rightward the Republican party. Then came the election loses and resignations by the few moderate Republicans still left in Congress. Maybe it would be better to say that moderate Republicans are pretty close to extinct.
I was going to initially call this post “Political Refugee”, but refugee is a charged word. It does however effectively describe my feelings as this election cycle draws to a close. I have no one to vote for even though it is my right and duty as a citizen to participate in the process of democracy. I cannot help but feel a sense of resignation that my choices for office are so uninspired and unappealing that I would rather just skip Election Day altogether.
You might be wondering why I am even bringing this up. I do not often talk about politics here as it is not the focus of this blog. I also believe that social media has severely poisoned politics and rational political discourse. Thus politics is a topic I simply choose to avoid unless it directly impacts the technology sector. However, I am sincerely worried about the future of our country and the ability of our leaders to come together to solve the many challenges America faces.
Watching 60 Minutes last night about the gridlock in Washington only increased my sense of anxiety. The US economy is stagnant, job growth anemic, our education system is inadequate, entitlements are expanding out of control, and we are still fighting a war in Afghanistan. There are too many important issues to tackle at the moment to get tied up in petty turf wars and in scoring political points for the base. The leadership void in our federal government is palpable.
Therefore I will vote. Despite my reservations with the choices presented, it is imperative to vote if we are to fix our very broken political system. I know that I am not the only one out there that views both the left and the right as bizarre fringe elements.
My call to everyone out there is to vote. Understand the key issues involved*. Make informed choices on the issues and the candidates. Find a polling site even if you are digging out of the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. And vote.
*Note that unemployed Big Bird, bayonets & horses, binders of women, and Ryan Gosling are not real issues…
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