Inside the Mind of a First-Time Voter
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What a first-time voter thinks about this election.
I am a nineteen-year old male college student who is politically interested. I read Time, Newsweek, listen to NPR, DemocracyNow, and even some cable news networks (despite how much I despise them, but that is another article for another time). I consider myself quite informed, more informed perhaps than most people. So it may strike you as odd when I say that I am not voting in this upcoming election.
That is right I am not going to vote. I know that at this point most people are quite angry at me right now. You assume apathy or ignorance. Maybe you just think that I just want to rebel or that I am just plain stupid. But before you jump to conclusions let me state my case.
The reasons I am not voting:
- I will not compromise my belief system in order to choose one candidate over the other. For example I am pro-life, now don’t assume that I am an ignorant bible thumping fool. I by this I mean I am an anti-war, anti-death penalty, pacifist who also feels that abortion is wrong. I am also an anti- capitalist, and an anti-individualist, of which both candidates are. I am for the reduction of poverty and the elimination of the enormous gap between the rich and the poor. I against the removal of our civil rights and believe that gay marriage is not an issue that the government should be involved in. Overall I am very democratic so you might wonder why I don’t just ignore abortion and vote Obama. Let me tell you.
- As I predicted last spring,(you can ask my girlfriend) Obama will, as is happening now, morph into a politically correct version of his former self. The Obama we knew last spring is no longer as evidenced by his support of this “Bush- brainchild” bailout. The Obama we once heralded as one who will bring about change is being swallowed by Washington and its aversion for real change. You will see as I saw last spring that Obama will not be any different than any other President. Sure he will do this or that and will look different or sound different than other Presidents but the change that is really needed, the change he spoke of early in his campaign will not be able to be accomplished. While some of this is Obama’s fault some of it is also Congress’ fault. Which brings me to point number three.
- Congress. I don’t think people in this country realize how much Congress does, or doesn’t do I should say. I believe that too much evidence is put on electing the President and not enough on Congress. Congress is filled with partisanship, greed, and the only concern being reelection. Congress has been bought out by lobbyists and focus groups, by what is best for them and the state they represent. Gone are the days when Congress cared about the nation, we are in a time of individualism and it is destroying our nation.
While these are three legitimate reasons for why I am not voting, it really comes down to the fact that I am just sick of it all. All the politics, the greed, the self-aggrandizement, the smear campaigns, the lies, everything. I no longer want to be a part of this sick and depraved machine that we once called Presidential elections. I have had enough. Have you?
3 Comments
It seems that you are more against the system than the candidates. Any nominee for president will be self-aggrandizing. You seem to see Obama’s “rush to the middle” off-putting. Would you prefer to see him more liberal? This “morphing” is a well-known strategy to obtain more last-minute voters (it says little about his actions in office). I too am an anti-war, anti-death penalty pacifist (however, my pro-life stance extends only to my immediate personal affairs). However, Instead of voicing my frustrations toward the system by not voting, I think I’ll choose between the lesser of two very very evils.
Calvin, I like your spirit, but encourage you to vote. It is one of the few rights that distinguishes America from other countries. As an American I have lived in two other countries, including one in the Middle East, who did not cherish our ability to vote in their own country. Hey, man, I’ve felt your pain in previous elections, but I went ahead and voted. Had I not voted, I would be ashamed now. Instead, I’m grateful that I could voice my opinion at the ballot box. Reconsider, bro! I think it takes more courage to vote for someone you disagree with then it does to give up your voting capability.
Your youth gives evidence to your naivety. Did you think this world would suddenly spin off it axis because you came to some conclusions about whats right and wrong. Dreamer. The system in place has been built up over the centuries, to govern the various competing forces at work in our society.
Your ideal, is not my ideal. Neither your ideal nor my ideal is the ideal of another. We wrestle and cajole within the frame work of our democracy to shape it and its future. Over time two broad streams of thought have emerged to control the levers of government, the right and the left. Voting is the mechanism that steers the ship of state, right or left.
If you choose not to do your part in steering the ship, you may find you are left in its wake.