The Politics of Politics...

It's just over a month until what some people are calling, "The biggest election of our lifetime", and many of us are whipped into a frenzy about it. Up until about three months ago, at which time I told most everyone I know that I would no longer be responding to/forwarding/discussing political emails, I was pretty caught up in the political mania surrounding this election as well. So what happened three months ago, you ask? Well, I finally came to the conclusion that politics, discussion of politics, and really anything of a political nature was truly pointless and/or irrelevant to discuss among friends and colleagues. Let me elaborate...

As a Self-Employed person, and someone who has been without a corporate job for over 10 years now, I discovered a long while ago how important it is to be involved in decisions about who controls my money in Washington. The less money I have, primarily due to taxes I pay the federal government, has a direct relation to how I can and will run my business and this caused me to become very interested in politics back in the 90's. However, what I discovered very early on is that it doesn't make much difference who you call or write or complain to, as these elected officials in our pseudo-democracy are going to just do whatever they choose to do, influenced by money, incentives, etc., etc. Though I leaned (and still do, at least fiscally) conservative, I never joined any political party because honestly I didn't see ideal solutions from either party. However, what I did see very quickly is that as soon as you begin to adopt certain ideologies and political beliefs you are instantly branded a __________ or a ___________ by folks on the other side of that belief, and for awhile I was guilty of doing the same to others.

As the years passed and numerous arguments/debates ensued I learned that at the end of the day you are really never going to change someone's mind who's thoroughly entrenched on one side of the line, but sometimes you can have some amount of influence on those that teeter on the line itself. Even with those folks, however, what's generally happening is that you're "convincing" them of something they very well may be unconvinced of the moment someone influential on the other side of the topic gets their ear; the reason there are so many "undecided's" in every election is because so few people truly pay attention to or care about the Political Machine. So, if that's the case then what's the solution?

Well, there really isn't a solution, per se, but rather a "trick" to survive the heated political discussions that may come up in mixed company, especially this year. Before I offer that up, however, I think it's important to mention that I don't think any President, or any politician for that matter, Democrat or Republican, in the history of this great nation can be held fully accountable for or given credit for the day to day woes and victories we have as human beings, as truly great victories and defeats are shared by a number of involved parties, including civilians. I have made some mistakes in my life, some minor and some huge, and many of them were in the 90's, but none of that in any way is Bill Clinton's fault. I bought 3 different homes between 2000-2008, made a nice profit off some that I sold, but none of the credit goes to George Bush. It always makes me laugh when people think any President or political figure has the ability/power to truly shape one's life when in fact it is we ourselves that control 99.9999% of that. Even in the current financial mess, which has it's roots deep into Democratically controlled territory, spills heavily into Republican areas; there's blame for EVERYBODY in this one, folks. However, you can log on to a number of political blogs and find the blame put squarely on this Democrat or this Republican or at least 10,000 sites that blame GW for it. Well, we share in the blame ourselves, but as a society who loves to bicker and deflect, it's much easier to levy charges against "the other side" I guess. Although I have heard for years that Liberals were the party of "inclusion" and "diversity", strangely many of those I know who are self proclaimed "liberals" have very little Republican or Conservative friends. Also, the few highly religious Christian conservative folks I know, that support an "all knowing" and "forgiving" God, they don't seem to be fond of most liberals and have few if any as day to day pals. Well, here is where the "trick" comes in...

I say believe in EVERYTHING! Of course, not literally, though I do tend to weave and bob with some of these pet causes which makes me some sort of ConservalibRepubacratepend

ent I suppose. What I mean is, when heated political discussions come up in social settings, let's say Abortion, I just agree totally. "Oh yes, a woman's right to choose is crucial, you gotta have that. You rock it sister!". But, if I am with a couple people who are Pro Life, that's easy too: "Oh yeah man, life begins at conception, for sure. Abortion is murder!" Now, it makes no difference where my opinion fits into this because honestly, am I going to change (or dare I think I have the right to try??) their mind? Of course not, and why should I? This applies to Obama vs. McCain just as easy: "McCain is the best choice, of course. Experience, a tough guy, a Maverick, a "hot" wife!" Whatever, just fill in as needed. "Obama is all about Hope and Change and Change and Hope and he's classy and a great speaker!" Blah Blah Blah. Again, easier to just go with the flow of the room than try to change minds and argue points that are truly irrelevant as they will not "fix" or change anything anyway. I have told my wife for years how awesome a threesome (with another woman...sorry Hodge) would be, laid out charts and graphs and offered up years of clean bathrooms and floors. Guess what? No threesome...

So, does this mean I won't vote and I no longer have opinions? Of course not! It simply means I am not stubborn or foolish enough to think one man (or woman) in office is going to be able to affect enough change in the 4-8 years that it will do anything better (or worse) for me than I could do for myself and my family. President's don't create nor cut jobs, they simply act as a figurehead for a much larger system that we as consumers essentially attempt to control, and sometimes we do, when other elected officials in suits aren't busy behind closed doors trying to screw it up. I say that if you feel like Obama will make America what you think it needs to be, go for it man, pull that lever! If you think McCain is the right choice for your vision of America then hit the button, make it happen. My point is that at the end of the day, 4, 8, 16, 32 years from now there will still be liberals, there will still be conservatives, and just like every election cycle previous, there will still be arguments about who's right and who's wrong. I think we all are...