I have never missed casting my ballot in a presidential election in my thirty years of legal adulthood. And as a student of political sociology for nearly all of that time, I do the research and I take my vote very seriously.
This year, as we have candidates who are not white and male running in both major parties, we are clearly faced with an opportunity to advance this nation culturally, keeping us in step with most of the world’s more industrialized countries (and many less developed ones) that have already elected racial minorities or women to their highest seats of power. Furthermore, whether we put Barack Obama or Sarah Palin into office, this election will influence how we see all women or all people of color in both subtle and not so subtle ways. Speaking as a sociologist, this is fascinating to contemplate. Speaking as a person whose work involves building bridges between balkanized racial and ethnic groups, it is groundbreaking.
And yet, as I examine the gravity of all of the issues we face, I am left to conclude that the value of cracking one of these twin glass ceilings cannot alone determine the way I cast my ballot. In my view, we need a party that is willing to truly tackle the issues of terrorism and war, depletion of natural resources, the explosion of the world’s population and the deepening of global poverty—and to do so in radically different ways. I don’t mean spinning words to attract constituents. I’m talking about actually encouraging and carrying out system transformation.
Unfortunately, the differences between our two major parties on all of the issues are mostly cosmetic and rhetorical. It might appear as though their differences are significant—why else would their respective members be arguing with one another so vociferously? But I see two parties that are sponsored by and answerable to the same power base—and, for me, that adds up to little expectation for change when we most need it. The following are two broad issues that are of particular concern to me. But there are others:
Natural Resources. I’m not talking about the prices of gas or heating fuel or the sudden spike in airfares. I’m talking about sustaining life on this planet. I think the data we have about global climate change is sobering. Most of it does not appear to be hysterical exaggeration. And I think we are foolish not to genuinely heed this warning. We need to begin by severing the ties between corporations and politicians who are bought and sold in the basements and back rooms of congressional buildings, the White House, and K Street. Because I think this is so essential to making decisions that have the people and the planet in mind, I have never voted for a candidate who is not committed to and capable of putting natural resources ahead of short-term profits.
War and Terrorism. The United States produces and sells more military weapons than the next eight top weapons manufacturing nations combined, and we spend more money on our military than the militaries of the twenty-five next most powerful countries in the world. War will always occur and there will always be threats to our national security. But we can only avert these threats if we cease supporting a military industrial complex whose profits are unfortunately rooted in waging war (and threatening the national security of other nations). In other words, we must stop ourselves before it is too late. Imagine a nuclear bomb in New York City. This doesn’t have to happen. But it is the outcome we are likely to witness if our leaders do not shrink the size of the military industrial complex and curtail the proliferation of weapons. I have never voted for a candidate who does not see this as crucial for our protection and survival.
For my entire voting life, I have observed that neither of the major parties has substantively addressed these (and other) critical issues. And once again in 2008, neither party has made history with their platforms because they are still beholden to vested and powerful interests that maintain the perilous status quo. They have only made history with the faces of their candidates. This is not insignificant, to be sure, but I have to cast my vote for more than that, for a future, for a sustainable world that we can actually live in.
Sam
13 comments:
This 2008 is probably the most important election that will determine the future of this country. I have never been so excited to cast my vote since I turned 18. The last and first time I was able to vote I just voted [absentmindedly]without ever doing research as to who would have been the best candidate to run this country. I will openly admit that when I voted in the last election, my vote was based solely on the opinions of my friends and peers. I will always be ashamed of my poor decision making skills and in choosing a president that has "destroyed" our country to it's core. However throughout this election process I have fully researched both candidates and I am able to say without hesitation who I will be voting for. I do not want this response to be my personal statement about which candidate I am choosing just so I can bash the opposing candidate. However I do feel that Obama's campaign has had such a powerful impact on me and why I want to vote knowledgeably. I think he has opened up the doors for many young voters to get involved and actually care about the election and it's processes. So for that he earns my utmost respect. I do think his platform makes real sense. I particularly feel as though throughout his campaign he speaks as if he truly understands the people of this nation and more importantly my family and our problems. I want someone in office that is going to care about how much my mom and dad are working overtime to support me and my two sisters through college as much as they possibly can. Also I want my parents to feel as though the years they've spent working in blue collar jobs are actually valued in the eyes of an outstanding politician and not just swept under the rug. I'm tired of seeing my family struggle year and after year to make ends meet. I never get to see my dad anymore because he works overtime more often than not. My mother has also picked up a second job to help take the burden off of bill paying. To me, this election is not just about ending war it is about matters of my family being boderline middle-class or poor/unemployed.
-Kelly McBride
The 2008 US election is probably the most anticipated, but I cannot say it is the most important. I’m an international student her at Penn State, meaning, I’m not from the US and therefore I cannot vote. However, no matter what the outcome is, it will advance the US culturally, as there is a non white and non male running in both major parties. So either way, I see it as a win-win situation as there is not hierarchy for feminism and “blacks” in America.
However, the point that was made on what the US has to change I think is very important. These topics have not been emphasized enough in the US. The US is the most dependent country in the world to natural resources, it is said that the US uses almost 80% of three worlds natural resources. Not only is this slowly destroying the world we see today, but it is also a bad thing to be this dependent on the natural resources. Especially because most of the resources are imported.
Gaining independence from natural resources I feel is what the US needs to start heading for, and is one of the most important steps that the US needs to take. And in addition, the US need to take into account that they are a big target, therefore, they need to reduce the amount of the military industrial complex and limit their production of weapons, as Sam stated. Without doing so, they are only provoking their enemies.
With the elections, i believe that America should focus more on what should be done fro the nation.
I have recently had my eyes opened to another area that I feel is incredibly important to the United States and arguably directly effects both of the main points brought up in this entry. The agriculture industry is something many of us take for granted these days, and we have no idea how closely it ties into the major political issues going on right now. Groups like PETA and the Humane Society of the United States have set out to literally end the world of agriculture. They have somehow managed to make farmers and agriculturists out to be the enemy of the environment. However, it is the farmers that live off the land and take care of the environment more than any of us. What is most fascinating, however, is the ways in which the agriculture industry promotes the safety and independence of the United States.
By keeping agriculture alive in the United States we are supporting our global independence. Agriculture is the source of our food supply, and by eliminating domestic food production and outsourcing to other countries we are once again relying on other countries for our livelihood (sounds similar to our current oil crisis) Not only are we dependent on them, but we are also giving up control of the safety of our food supply. You don't have to look far to find the source of recent salmonella outbreaks and other major food sicknesses: all imported produce from other countries. How easy would it be to poison an entire country?
Keeping agriculture alive and active in our country is a great way to protect the safety of our citizens and increase our nations independence. This is a huge discussion right now, and one that is much more active than you think. (check out the debate over California's proposition 2, being voted on in November. It has HUGE implications for our country) I encourage you to do some research on the current big issues in agriculture, and consider this when looking for a candidate.
This 2008 election is by all means the most historic one of American history. With a multi-racial candidate for presidency, an original woman running for the democratic nomination, and another woman with the republican vice presidential nomination there is major groundbreaking being done no matter which party wins and moves on towards the White House. There are many people voting solely to break either the racial or the gender glass ceiling. This election, due to its remarkable nature, has become very sensitive for many people. There are many democratic women who, when Hillary Clinton lost the democratic nominee, refused to support Obama even though he still stands by their political views. And there were Republican women who wanted to support her just to have a woman in the White House. Understandably, this would be an amazing breakthrough. As my own mother tried to explain to me, women of our generation do not understand what it is like to not play a role in the workforce outside of secretarial or similar work. For us, it just seems like it is natural and about time that a women take on the role as president. I do admit then I was easily persuaded by this concept, I supported Hillary up until her loss, feeling like it was my duty as a woman to do so. However, once Obama claimed the nominee I moved on to go back to supporting my democratic views regardless of the candidate. However, when I heard that the republicans had a woman as their vice presidential candidate and there was a chance that a woman could become president if they won I started to think. Should I change my views to support this woman? The answer, like Sam’s blog states, is no. It took an extreme supporter of an oppositional view to show me this but I did realize the truth. People should vote based on the issues at hand and the platform for which the candidate is running on. Yes, it is amazing that the two main minorities in the country will be represented as the leaders of the country this year but once they are in their skin color will not do much for them. To preach against racism and sexism means looking beyond the color of ones skin or gender. A minority leading will be a wonderful advance for our country but we must keep in mind that the breakthrough itself plays no role in the policy making and necessary strong leadership skills needed to run our country.
In response to Sharon Byrne, I completely agree with her. I come from a small town in Baltimore County Maryland. I went to an agricultural high school. We had one of the best agriculture programs in the United States until recently, when the state dramatically decreased the amount of funding our school receives each year for the ag program. It's absolutely pathetic to know that the state of Maryland as well as the county cannot fund the school more. And because of this the ag program will be taken away from the school within the next couple of years. Our country was built on agriculture and its development. Now, everyone looks past that I just wants to develop land. Small farms are bought out by big names, leaving the local farmers with nothing to do, but to sell their land to a developer. It's pathetic. Our nation needs to step back and see just want we are doing to our beautiful county. We are ruining it. Everyone wants to build the biggest house. How can a family be healthy dwelling on the biggest and the best and forgetting about the simple pleasures in life.
In some ways this might seem a little off topic when the topic is political, but it's not at all. Our country needs a president that will advance this nation from the the bottom up. We are built on agriculture. And this needs to be one of the biggest concerns in the mind of the next United States president.
-Rebecca Frack
I felt this blog entry related to my personal views as well. I too am having problems relating to both major parties. I completely agree with Sam's thinking about these other issues that are going unnoticed. I do understand the status of the economy is a vital issue. However, not too long ago the state of the environment was the hot topic. Also since we have been learning about our foreign relations in regard to our military and global poverty these issues have become very important to me. As much as it worries me about our powerful military I believe that our security is more important. This is where I disagree with Sam. Just the sheer numbers and power of our military protects us and provides me with comfort.
In regard to race relations, this election will undoubtedly go down in history. Today in class we talked about a few uninformed McCain supporters being racist. But one issue that has been bothering me for some time is one that some might be sensitive to. I attended a speech by Obama in a predominantly black neighborhood. The turnout was overwhelming and I heard a lot of common sayings. Now I say this without prejudice but I felt as if many people, people of color that is, feel like Obama is their President. I hate to think this but I believe that many are only voting for him because he is black. The irony of this is that many forget that he is half white. Now I understand that having Obama as President would provide many people of color with great feelings of pride. However, I do wish that every American white, black, or brown would look more closely at what each candidate will do and has done for our country and not be fooled by flashy campaigns and the color of their skin. Everyone needs to understand each candidate’s background in regard to politics. What has he done in the past? What kind of changes has he made to help our country as a senator? Is he capable and qualified of being the Commander and Chief of the most powerful military in the world? We need a candidate who can actually make progress in our country not just the candidate who says he will.
There has always been the question of who will be president first, a black man or a white woman. Well in a way the 2008 presidential campaign will answer that question. Even though Sarah Palin is not running for president there is the chance that she could one day be president if unfortunate events occur. The fact that there is a black male and white female in the race has caused a problem. I feel like sometimes Barack Obama has become more of a celebrity because of his race or people are more critical of Sarah Palin because she is a “soccer mom.” There was something I heard that was aired on the radio. A reporter went into Harlem and talked to so-called “Obama Supporters.” When talking to them, the reporter asked them if they supported some of Obama’s policies; however, he told them McCain’s policies. The supporters still said they totally stand behind “Obama’s” views. The most interesting part was when he asked if they supported Obama’s VP, SARAH PALIN, they all said they did. This story pointed out something crucial. Some people are voting for a candidate that they know nothing about. This can go both ways. There are plenty of Caucasian Americans who are completely against the idea of a black president so they will vote for McCain, without even knowing what he stands for. This election is historical and I hope that in the end, people will vote for someone they actually know something about, not just because of their race or gender.
I am extremely happy that the 2008 election will be my first voting experience. Not only will it make history, but it could be a complete turning point for our country and will bring about huge change from the past eight years, even if the republican John McCain is elected. History will be made in this elected, either a half black man or a white woman will be elected for the first time into high office such as President or Vice President.
Many focus mainly on the race or party of the candidates, not the issues for which they stand. I have met many whites who refuse to vote for Barack Obama since he is black and supposedly a “Muslim” which is completely false. There were also thoughts that Republican vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, would attract woman voters who were left undecided when Hillary Clinton lost the primary. This proves just how much people do not listen to the issues and focus on race, gender, and religion alone. There was controversy when John F Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, ran for president and many thought that would hold him back from being elected.
What is not important about this election is the race, gender, or religion, but what the candidates fight for. We’re stuck in what seems to be a never ending war and our economy is in a recession with a depression just around the corner. It comes down to which candidate will best help us get out of these messes and get our country on the fast track to being number one in the world.
The 2008 presidential election is one of the most interesting elections ever in the U.S history. To me, this election seems to be a very important election because it will determine which direction this country will go and how my family’s life is going to be look like in the future. But sadly enough, I can’t vote in this election because I am not a U.S citizen yet. However, there are some political issues that concerned me a lot in this election, and I just want to see how these two presidential candidates will address these issues. Like many college students, one of my biggest concerns is environment issues and problem of energy usage. The U.S consumes about 25% of the global energy and contributes a significant amount of pollution into the earth. We are too dependent on the energy that we import form the other countries and we must solve this problem before we are in deep trouble. We must be more aware and feel more conscious about the damage of the global health.
Another interesting thing about this election is problem of race issue, first time ever in the U.S history that we have a Black candidate that run for presidency and the race relation plays a big role in this election. Culturally speaking, I think the U.S is more open in term of the racial issues as compared to the old time, but still, we need to be more accepted and vote for what we believe. We need to discard our judgment on race and vote the best candidate that we believe will bring this country forward.
Dieu Truong
The 2008 Presidential Election is a very important election for the United States, just like every presidential election. Race wise it is important because there is the possibility that a black man could be elected to the office of president. The issue of Sarah Palin is also a very important issue. She could become the first woman Vice President. The only thing I do not like is when people say they are not voting for the McCain-Palin ticket because they do not want Palin as President. People have to realize if that ticket is elected, John McCain will be the President of the United State, not Sarah Palin. The possibility of Palin becoming President is very slim if not no chance. The United States does need to limit their dependence on foreign oil, and oil all together. We need to start using sources that are environmentally safe. We all need to conserve energy. Global Warming is a major issue in today’s society. However I do not believe our situation is as bad as people like Al Gore claim it to be. Watching Gore’s documentary I noticed that on all of his charts, everything was is a consistent pattern until the year 2000, which happened to be the year he lost to George Bush. I just found it to be funny that he showed this. However we do need to take global warming seriously. I am perfectly fine with our countries focus on the military. In today’s age we need to have a large military. If we do not have a strong military then other countries will and will use it against us. I think this election is very important and I believe both candidates are good choices to become President of the United States.
Nicholas LoSasso
I read this entry, and I find myself in agreement, and also I feel a sense of admiration, that you are so committed to your causes that your vote truly supports them. Of course, you may say, however I look at myself, and the way I vote, and I realize that I do not choose my candidates this way. I see two front runners, and I see that one of those two will be the leader of this country. I truly feel, at this point, that I would be wasting my vote if I did not vote for one of them.
In fact, that is why I am a registered Democrat, and not an Independent, or a member of the Green Party, or one of the other minority parties in this country. I want to feel like my vote is counting for something. Also, I want to be able to vote in my district’s primary elections. It is my understanding that, were I to register anything but Republican or Democrat, those elections would not be open to me. I feel like local elections are particularly important, because I have lived in the area all of my life, and I’ve seen how much of an impact local individuals – members of the school board, for example – can have.
At the same time, however, I always feel like I am settling when I vote. I am not wholly pleased with the candidate I’m voting for, but it is either that person or the other one, and I’m pretty sure the other one represents me even less, so I’ll at least support the person with whom I share some ideas. This person is not always a Democrat.
In Greece, where I studied abroad, there were a variety of parties, including a Communist Party, and most of them were represented in the parliament. I often hear people wish we had more than a two-party system in this country, but I do not often hear ways we can go about achieving that. Perhaps that is something I can do – work to create a space where my vote can both be counted, and represent who I am.
This election is a big one without a doubt. There are many issues that plague our nation today. There are a lot of things that need to be dealt with. I have always wanted our country to succeed, as I believe every American hopes for. Neither candidate really pulls me toward them to be honest. I like the views of Barack Obama very much. I believe that he will do great things for this country. I think he has attracted the attention of many college students due to the fact that he is concerned with many tax breaks for the middle class, which is essentially where college students lie. But some of issues on gun control, etc, clash with my republican views. But I know one thing for sure. I will not vote just based on the color of skin. It is beyond ridiculous. Why would someone not vote for who is best for this country just because of race? Which shouldn’t even be an issue since Obama is half white! Having a woman run for vice president is another thing. Of course, being a female, I personally would love to see a woman holding that position. But I am not just going to vote for McCain, just because of who his vice presidential candidate is.
The 2008 US election is probably the most anticipated, but I cannot say it is the most important. I’m an international student her at Penn State, meaning, I’m not from the US and therefore I cannot vote. However, no matter what the outcome is, it will advance the US culturally, as there is a non white and non male running in both major parties. So either way, I see it as a win-win situation as there is not hierarchy for feminism and “blacks” in America.
However, the point that was made on what the US has to change I think is very important. These topics have not been emphasized enough in the US. The US is the most dependent country in the world to natural resources, it is said that the US uses almost 80% of three worlds natural resources. Not only is this slowly destroying the world we see today, but it is also a bad thing to be this dependent on the natural resources. Especially because most of the resources are imported.
Gaining independence from natural resources I feel is what the US needs to start heading for, and is one of the most important steps that the US needs to take. And in addition, the US need to take into account that they are a big target, therefore, they need to reduce the amount of the military industrial complex and limit their production of weapons, as Sam stated. Without doing so, they are only provoking their enemies.
With the elections, i believe that America should focus more on what should be done fro the nation.
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