I'm not going to get into the politics of yesterday's election other than to say that I'm happy with the outcome. What matters to me more for the long long term is the fact that voter turnout is still as low as it is. Three of the last four U.S. elections have had candidates win or lose by very few votes to the point that re-counts were needed. The senate races in Montana and Virginia have not yet been officially called and their outcome could shift the balance of power in the Senate. Close results could have happened in any state.
We could consider making voting mandatory like Australia does. But does an ignorant unwilling voter do more harm than good? I think one of major reasons that we have low turnout is because the perception that "all the candidates suck" keeps rearing its head every election. I blame this on negative political advertising. If all candidates' ads tell you the other candidates are horrible, then why would you want to elect either of them? If, (as in the Vermont senate race this year), candidates focused on their own positives, then maybe more people would want to vote. They would tend to choose the candidate whose accomplishments they can respect, hoping that by electing that candidate that she/he would continue with good works.
One could say that I'm being too idealistic. As soon as one candidate slings mud, the other has to do so in return. If they don't, they'll be perceived as a weak incompetent politicians. My advice to everybody who doesn't vote is to chose the candidate whose philosophies more closely match your own and vote for that candidate. That person is more likely to vote on legislation in a manner consistent with how you think . It seems like all candidates have negatives or skeletons in their closet, and most seem to be influenced by lobbyists, so all you have left is their political philosophies.
The lesson is this... Every vote does count and every vote does matter. Based on this, you can have an impact on the future of your country and even your planet. If you don't vote for yourself, do it for your children whether you've had any yet or not. Parents tend to know what's good for their children don't they?
The next two years will be very interesting from a political standpoint. Here's to one year and ten months of television without political TV commercials.
+ Atul
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