We have officially reached that point in the election process where I must wonder, however briefly, if being ruled by an inbred, psychotic, syphlitic despot thousands of miles away in England was really such a bad thing.
But I still hope you vote.
We have less than a week to determine the course of our counties, state and possibly our nation. As someone far wiser than I am once put it, we get the government we deserve.
Another deep thinker said we are voting for the government which will serve — or rule — our children.
Midterms are often the middle child of the election cycle; not always as busy as the presidential races, but unlike off-year local elections, midterms are still completely inclusive. They are also almost ignored, and that’s wrong.
Sheriffs, clerks of court, county commissioners, school boards, state and U.S. house and senate positions, those races all tend to be slugged out in the primaries, and by November everyone is tired of the whole thing. Plus we are constantly told that the races are basically decided by the first of September, and are constantly hammered by the media with the message that it’s a waste of time to vote for Candidate B, because the polls all say Candidate A has it in the bag, and we should believe these people because they are smarter than us, and don’t mind reminding us of their superior intellect.
That’s all the more reason we need to vote.
No election is over until the votes are counted. Just ask Thomas Dewey, Hillary Clinton, and yes, Donald Trump. Those are just a few of the campaigns where the media screamed “It’s in the bag”, when indeed the proverbial fat lady had not sung her final electoral aria.
I am not going to presume to try to tell anyone how to vote; the principles and foundations of conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, should be fairly well known to even the deepest cave-dwelling troglodyte by now. Truth and falsehoods are actually still either true or false, even though the line hasn’t been blurred but downright erased by hopefuls and much of the media.
I think elections have followed everything else in the post-pandemic society, and become nastier, more personal and more shameful than even the worst of the old days — and I remember when Jim Hunt challenged Jesse Helms.
Only thing I can think to compare it to is during the first elections after Reconstruction, when a veteran of the War Between the States shot his daughter’s fiancée at the poll for being of the other party.
I think the sad nature of modern elections is a combination of factors, some of which quite honestly can be traced to the rampant, passionate, blind hatred for President Trump, even though he isn’t running. It should be noted that not a single Democrat candidate for House and Senate in Washington has said “No” when asked if they plan to fire up a new round of investigations and impeachments against Trump, as they did when they were in power during his first term.
The question has been posed to quite a few of the talking heads and wannabees (whether new or incumbent), and it’s been asked very simply, in basic terms a first grader could answer. Yet none will say yes or no.
In Washingtonspeak that means yes, of course. If the president’s opposition gets power again, I will bet a summer poor possum pelt against a dozen prime otter plews that we will see two years of deadlock and nuisance investigations, not to mention even more legislation created by the courts than by those elected to write and pass laws.
Many folks who voted for change in the last presidential election were horrified by the things that were happening during the presidency of that poor, sad man who had to be propped up to walk across a room. To be fair, some on both sides are horrified now as well.
Just in case you’ve forgotten:
A Democrat senate candidate said she wants to use the law or the threat of lawfare to discourage college students from going to work for the government under a Republican administration.
Several others insist that a primary school student can change their gender, and that teens should have “gender-affirming” surgery with very little input from their parents.
More than 6,000 people were questioned, arrested or detained without trial because in some cases they literally knew people who were in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6. Others were arrested because they bought too many copies of the Constitution from Amazon.
DataRepublican, an independent journalist, has uncovered and documented plans – including recorded conversations by former military leadership and governors – to destabilize the government and rewrite the Constitution. Don’t take my word for it — be a Berean and search for yourself. This is the type of thing that conspiracy theorists love, but in this case, there’s no need to mock the tinfoil hat.
We are enmeshed in a war that should have been fought 40 years ago, and now it seems to have no end in sight.
Billions in tax dollars were funneled into pockets of illegal immigrants for “learing” centers that had no children “learing” in six-figure classes.
Meanwhile, hurricane victims were denied assistance or saw it delayed because of their political leanings — at the direction of the federal government.
It must be remembered that whichever party is in power, without an involved electorate, these same things could happen to members of either party. It’s less likely with one than the other, but that’s not the point.
In our own U.S. Senate race, we have a former governor touting law and order after releasing thousands of criminals onto the streets, resulting in at least one murder that is being excused in part because the victim was white and the suspect is not. He also shut down our state during COVID and admitted that the state may have fudged the numbers for everyone’s protection That led to shuttered schools, children falling far behind, churches being shut down, and small businesses closing — while strip clubs, bars and liquor stores stayed open and anti-police demonstrations were allowed.
On the other side is a candidate that the rank and file voters didn’t know before this year and don’t really care about, but he checks off boxes for an establishment candidate (namely that that he is against sexual orientation training of schoolchildren, sort-of pro-2A, pro-life, and most importantly Not The Other Guy.)
Local elections have devolved into untraceable lifesized political posters showing a candidate with soiled pants, calls for candidates to be hanged, and other extremes. Not necessarily because of principles or personalities — but because of party.
It’s almost farcical that several campaigns across our region literally use campaign signs saying “Blame So-and-So. Vote for Thus-And-Such.” That platform doesn’t do anything to impress me, but your mileage may vary.
That’s why you should vote.
Missus and I are traditionalists, and we will vote on Election Day. Even in races that are a foregone conclusion, we vote. My grandfather and a couple of uncles did not go to war so we could sit around and let the American dream become some bizarre socialist-Sharia nightmare.
The folks I know who faced water cannons, tear gas and police dogs on the Freedom Marches did not go through that so people could stay home.
For more than 200 years, people have given blood, sweat, tears and gold so we could have the right to choose our leaders. People around the world desperately want to come here for the rights guaranteed by our Constitution and Bill of Rights. They cannot conceive of a place where freedom is codified by laws designed to protect those who obey the laws of society.
Whether you vote early or on Election Day, I hope you cast an informed, prayer-led, well-thought-out ballot.
You aren’t just voting for who controls growth, development, taxes, war or the economy.
You’re voting for who will make the laws, those who will rule your children and grandchildren.
You’re voting for the future.
