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After the very close yet fairly predictable Presidential and Congressional election outcomes from this past week, I’ve compiled a list of things I noticed from the campaign trail. Enjoy!
5.) Several Americans love America. And that’s why they are planning to leave it.
Come on, folks. If you truly loved America, you would not be ready to pack up your bags and leave it, regardless of who the leaders are. And this is not only a reference to those who didn’t want President Barack Obama to win; I saw several say they’d leave if Governor Mitt Romney won. Let’s not even mention the places I’ve seen suggested. Socialist Canada. Italy, who fought with the Nazis less than 70 years ago. Latin American countries, aka the home of modern corrupt governments and dangerous drug cartels. And these people claim to be lovers of democracy? Patriotism at its finest!
P.S. Ole Miss still parties like it’s 1962.
I quite frankly cannot stand when people make things out to be racism because I personally believe that a very small amount of people make racially charged or influenced decisions. However, the riot police had to break up at Ole Miss in response to the election results oddly resembles their reaction to their school’s integration in 1962. But then again, Clemson made national news when several booed during a military oath when it mentioned the President of the United States, so I guess our hands aren’t exactly clean.
4.) Many do not know the role of the President of the United States (POTUS).
The POTUS’s main functions are to suggest legislation and veto legislation he disagrees with, so think of him as an elected lobbyist with a veto and everyone knows his name. The lawmaking body of the US federal government is Congress, so in terms of policy, most Americans should be beefing with our congressmen. But just as George W. Bush took a lot of criticism for Congress’s choices during his tenure as POTUS, Obama has done the same. And I can assure you the same would’ve happened to Romney and will happen to Obama’s successor. Why else would Bush have remained so reluctant throughout the past four years and especially the election to comment on Obama as a President? He knows it’s not a walk in the park and taking the brunt of the unjust American anger is not fun.
3.) Democrats and Republicans may not always see eye to eye, but they seem to share an equal dislike of independents, mainly Libertarians.
Sure, some libertarian ideals are a little out there, such as the idea of having no taxes implemented whatsoever. But, the fact of the matter is, this is quite possibly the biggest influence by a third party since the Teddy Roosevelt and the Progressives in 1912. However, the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson was kept out of debates as usual, despite the fact that not all Americans are on the left or right side if the political spectrum. This likely has to do with Ross Perot attracting the votes of many conservatives in the 1992 election, causing incumbent President George H.W. Bush to lose to Governor Bill Clinton. But about 30 – 35 percent of people identify as Republicans and 30 – 35 percent as Democrats, meaning almost a third of the United States identify as neither. So I think a little more political diversity could be promoted so that every voice can be truly heard.
2.) We are still in Congressional Deadlock, so neither Obama nor Romney could’ve gotten much done in the next two years without compromise in the Congress.
For anyone who knows anything (and I applaud all 25 percent of you), the two chambers of Congress are still divided, with the House of Representatives remaining Republican and the Democrats hanging onto the Senate. So any legislation that goes through one chamber is very unlikely to go through the other. In what I consider my strongly unbiased opinion, the Senate is our biggest problem. While the Democrats have the majority in the Senate, the Republicans have a fun tool called the filibuster, which is an extended debate on bills in hopes to kill it. Though a filibuster can be ended with 60 votes, the Democrats do not have 60 seats, making it basically impossible to get past the filibuster.
So let me break this down: the Democrats introduce legislation, the Republicans filibuster it, the legislation dies, and the process starts all over again. Fun stuff, right? This is why we do not currently have a budget. Well, until senators (of both parties) stop acting like children, work out the kinks, meet each other half way and compromise, Americans still screwed. And I find it hard to believe that as Americans who have excelled in their respective fields enough to be considered worthy of election, that they have absolutely NOTHING in common.
1.) A large majority of Americans will continue their indifference to politics within the next week or so if they have not already done so.
Let’s be real. How many folks jumping up and down for Obama’s victory or despairing Romney’s loss will be paying attention until the 2014 election? I can promise you it will be a small few. I’m not saying Americans are ignorant, because quite frankly politics can be ignorant and it’s easy to understand why some want very little to do with them. But elections do not have to be the only time when American voices are heard. If people became more proactive between the elections every 2 – 4 years, then we may see some changes in how much stuff actually gets done. I know it’s a long shot, but I can be hopeful!