Tag: Politics
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Politicians Suck, But Don’t Hold That Against Them
We are down to the final two weeks before election day on November 3rd. I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but even in Very Blue New York City, the political campaign ads are now running full steam ahead and nonstop. I will say that the ads do make me wish that the election was over, so we can just move on.
Political ads have never made me want to vote for or against anyone. But they must work, right? I mean, why would anyone spend this much money on something that doesn’t work. Honestly, I have never known a person who was swayed by a political ad. Then again, maybe these ads are meant for me, or the people I know.
What I do know is that they have had an effect on my kid. Not that these ads have made her for or against a candidate. No, these ads have made her create a “politician” character that she rolls out when one of these commercials comes on. She tells us how she’s not a rubber stamp for Trump, or that the will stand up to Trump. How she’ll help lower or electricity bills by stopping data centers, or stopping the war in Iran to lower out gas costs. The kid takes on this weird serious tone when she plays this “politician” character, and defiantly lets us know that she approves this ad.
I would like to say that this political season has caused me and the kid to have conversations about the state of affairs in our city, state, and our country, but that would be a lie. The wife and I have tried to instill in the kid the importance in voting, and we have taking her many times to our local polling location so she can see us vote, and see what the process is like. That voting is out civic duty, one of our fundamental responsibilities as Americans, and how the right to vote hasn’t always been extended to all Americans, and thus we must be the stewards so that franchisement remains extended to all Americans.
Politicians kind’a do suck, and there are very few good ones out there. This time of year, it seems like all of them are just the worsts and will do the worst if they get elected. But, I believe that the kid is getting it, you know. Figuring out that the ads are kind’a stupid, but elections and voting are important, and a necessary part of being an adult and a citizen of this country.
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Can’t Stop Watching the News (Unedited)
I have been fighting very hard to not live in an echo chamber. Though it does feel like the whole world is out to get more, or at least push me into a corner. Trying to stay balanced is tricky, because as we all know, if you search too much of one subject, the Algorithm thinks that’s what you want to see all the time. Or, as a friend pointed out to me, our TVs are listening to us now, so I try to watch what I say around the set, as to not send the wrong message to the AI Overlords.
I say all of this because the midterm elections are three weeks away, and I am getting anxious about the possible outcomes. I’m not sure I can put my whole faith in the coming “Blue Tsunami” as it might just end up being a “Blue Drop.” Having grown up in Texas, and first hand witnessing that state change from Blue to the deepest of reds, I have a hard time believing that anyone with a D next to their name is going to win a state wide election there. (If Jesus was running with a D, he’d lose in a landslide to an R Satan.) And I can’t shake the feelings that there will be Trump shenanigans the day after the election; claims of voter fraud, and court cases, and attempts to seize votes, or claim that certain winners should be sworn in and seated. You know, normal Trump stuff.
All this makes me anxious, anxious, anxious.
I will say this; I do believe that just about everybody (70% or so) is fed up with the state of politics in this country. From government not working, to affordability, to healthcare, to people no longer being civil to each other – I do think people are ready, and yearning for things to change. And change for the better. A change that moves us forward. Not one party over the other, but getting back to having faith in each other and working together.
Only the hardest core of each side enjoys the state we’re in, and I dare say they only enjoy it because they are profiting off of it. The rest of us? I think we’d like to have a friendly debate, and then compromise on a solution.
You know; the way it’s supposed to be.
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ODDS and ENDS: Political Ads, Sports, and Apple Picking
(You’re good, so good…)
We are now under 30 days from the Midterm elections, and if you are like me, you’ve had your fill of the political ads. There is no way to avoid them, as they seem to have invaded every for and medium out there. This time around, the kid has started paying attention, and asking questions, which is good. Her game is trying to figure out which political party a candidate is with, being that in almost all the ads, no one specifies anymore. All of these additional conversations with my daughter have been great but lead me to ask her a very important question; “Are you excited to vote when you turn 18?” Which she quickly answered, “No.”
The Dallas Cowboys suck this season. And the Cubs got swept outta the playoffs, super quick. I don’t have high hopes that Tottenham will have righted the ship after this International break. So… I’m not having a good sports month. It’s an October Slog. In fact, when I was out shopping last week, a store clerk asked me why I was out in public with a Tottenham hat on. “Why are you announcing your shame to everyone?” he asked. I didn’t take it personal, he was an Arsenal fan.
That’s right, I’m again doing the very cheesy and cliché thing! I’m going up the Hudson Valley to take my family apple picking. Oh, I love how silly, and over crowed, and just basic this tradition is. But you know what I really love? Apple Cider Donuts! Eating apples off a tree! Putting on a flannel shirt, and walking around in mud! It’s my Rites of Autumn! May it live forever!
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Political Observation While on Christmas Vacation
For Christmas, we went home to Texas to see family and friends. We had a good time, and did all the fun family stuff for the Holidays: wrapped gifts, ate too much, drank a little too much, laughed a lot, caught up, enjoyed the Season, and laughed some more.
With all of this merriment, there was one thing that I wanted to avoid, which was talking politics. One reason was that I just wanted a break from the doom and gloom and unending aggression and conflict. Another reason was that I just wanted to have a good time with the people I love.
I do love my friends and family, and I am very fortunate (I do mean this) that I have a large group of people in my life that are all over the political spectrum. It can make conversations interesting and heated, but it also keeps me grounded. My conservative friends and family remind me that conservative people all don’t think the same, they’re not all MAGA, and do make some good points. Same goes for the liberal and moderate people as well – they are good at defending/explaining their beliefs as well.
Though I tried to dodge the trap of talking politics, it always comes up.
BUT! I did observe two very interesting conversations that came up across the board, no matter who I was talking to – conservative/liberal/moderate. They were:
- Interest in Zohran Mamdani
- Tired of Fighting, Let’s Get Things Done
Everyone is interested in Zohran! Maybe not everyone agreed with his policies, but everybody talked about how much they liked the guy. And with us being from New York City, all of our friends and family kept on asking us questions about him, if we voted for him, do we think his plans will work. The other interesting thing was that they all had seen at least one of his videos. What I think it all came down to was that they all felt he was “the new thing” in politics, and they wanted to know more about him.
The second observation I thought was the more profound one; everyone wanted to stop fighting/arguing and just get things done. They all explained it in their own unique ways, but what I got is that everyone is tired and frustrated with feeling like they are constantly being pitted against someone or something, and the result is that nothing changes. To that end, everyone started asking why aren’t we compromising, or why aren’t we electing people who can compromise, or at least work to a solution?
Sure, this is completely anecdotal, but talking to our friends and family about this gave me the feeling of hope. A slight, little, tiny hope which maybe, might be signaling that this antagonistic/zero sum/winner take all politics could possibly, just sort of be showing the first signs of cracking.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
