Today is the day

After the longest presidential campaign in U.S. history, it's finally election day. Some of you will be casting your vote for senator Barack Obama; others for senator John McCain; and a portion will be pulling the lever for third party candidates like Ralph Nader, Chuck Baldwin, or Bob Barr. Though I have become increasingly cynical about the political process as I creep further into adulthood, the influx of new voters and visible excitement of passionate lifelong voters has been really incredible to see. Last week, while Ethan and I were strolling around the mall (where else do you go to ride merry-go-rounds, look at koi fish, and eat ice cream?), I saw a young dad engaged in an energetic political discussion with an older man littered with Obama paraphenalia. The two disagreed on just about everything, but they were cordial to one another other as they hashed it out. I was impressed by what I saw. Usually, my only involvement with politics is either 1.) Heated debate/pontification while intoxicated or 2.) Paying taxes imposed on me by my local, state, and federal governments. In other words, very little. But election day (however deceptively) always feels like a chance to start again.

That line of thinking is, of course, entirely flawed. There is no starting fresh in politics. Whoever wins, whether it's Obama or McCain, will inherit the mistakes and problems of his predecessor (see: W). The winner will also be expected to live up to the endless promises he has made. This point, the campaign promises, are what I find the most frustrating. Barack Obama and John McCain are not our saviours (neither is government for that matter). They will not be able to solve all of our problems. Each man has promised so much that it would be impossible to run the country and maintain the workload they've obligated themselves to on the campaign trail. But this is what modern campaigning has become. And both men are guilty of attempting to be everything to their supporters. Today politicians must speak broadly to appeal to as many citizens as possible (from Harvard-educated to second grade reading level). Word choice in the rhetoric is labored over; speech locations are chosen for symbolism (i.e. Defiance, Ohio) or tailored for maximum clarity of message. Simple slogans (Change We Can Believe In/Country First) are coined so they can be repeated ad nauseum and transmitted across as many mediums as possible.  

In the end, however, you only have one vote. And instead of having endless options that you painstakingly narrow down to two selections, you begin your decision-making with only two selections (thanks two-party system). It is frustrating to say the least. But today you are asked to consider these two choices, weight them as if the very fabric of our society will dramatically change course depending who wins, and then cast your vote. In truth, neither man's plans for the country will dramatically improve my life. If I'm lucky (and I'm usually not), whoever assumes the office will just not make my life any harder.      

So for me the decision has been either A.) Not voting or B.) Pulling the lever for Barack Obama. While I would like to be as smitten as everybody I know about Obama, it's hard for a semi-intelligent person like myself to not be skeptical. Regardless of the sainthood so many liberals and progressives want to bestow upon him, he is still, and always will be, a politician. So I conferred with myself, asking these questions: Who will do what's best to serve the people that elected him while still keeping an eye to the future? Who will realize, in a sober and lonely moment of solitude (probably in the wee hours on Nov. 5), that he has a shit-ton of work to do and then just do it? And lastly, who will do his best to rehabilitate the country? My hope is that Barack Obama will be able to do what's best.