30 October 2008

five more days and counting

I've always found politics kind of fun, and I started young. The summer of the Watergate hearings was an unusually rainy one in Maine, so I watched them. There wasn't anything else to do. I was seven years old. By the time I was 12 I had read both volumes of Nixon's memoirs. Though I started out planning to study music, I ended up a political science major in college. I couldn't wait to vote in my first presidential election, way back in 1984.

Today? I cannot wait for the upcoming election to be over. If only these things could be nasty, brutish, and SHORT! I planned a wedding in eleven weeks. Surely presidential campaigns need not be much longer than that.

I love voting. Since I had children I have always taken a kid with me to the polls. It's good practice for the kids and the polls workers, typically older ladies, seem to be nicer to me when I have kid along for the ride. 

This year marks the first time I have ever seriously considered not voting. From the time Hillary Clinton conceded until John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was pretty sure I would stay home on election day. The Palin choice pushed me over the edge to Obama. Even if McCain had chosen someone remotely reasonable, I probably would have landed in this place eventually. He just hastened the process. I probably should thank him. Well, perhaps not.

I have seen some folks on twitter wonder what we will all have to talk about on November 5. I really don't care, as long as it isn't presidential politics. Anything else will be a welcome relief.

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

I blame the media for stretching the elections out for a year or more... it truly is ridiculous, especially given that 90% of everybody already has their mind made up on the first day! It turns into such a circus, it's crazy. It's almost gotten to the point that I almost don't even CARE who wins, as long as it's OVER SOON!!! Sick of the phone calls and ads on tv.

I'm living for next Wednesday.

KG said...

I, for one, would like to thank Mccain for his pick because that mean's one more vote in the Obama column! :-)

PS - Is the damn thing over yet?