Observations from Super Tuesday
February 7th, 2008 at 4:20 pm by Mark
Tags: humor, politics, sarcasm, voting
Moonbats and Asshats were certainly rife on Super Tuesday.
For weeks to come, we’ll keep hearing political commentary from people who have about as much grasp on politics as Pope does on WWII History.
*cough*
As I was voting with a change of Address and voting venue, I was at the polls for quite a while watching and listening to people. It’s an adamantly blue-collar, pro-union district, so naturally there are a lot of blue voters, especially of the “Damn Yankee!” variety — the type who get “Damn” attached to the beginning of their titles because they won’t go home. *snicker*
So I began to take notes of some of the conversations I overheard while waiting…
“What do you mean Democrat or Republican? How should I know? I wanna vote for Obama. Is he a Republican or a Democrat?”
Words cannot begin to describe my disdain for this particular style of voting. As surely as there’s lonely brain cell left to rattle around in a nearly empty skull, you should know something so basic about the person you’re giving your support to run the country.
“Oh, god, you know I’m a Democrat. Republicans are stupid. Hey, do I have to sign my name here where it says?”
I thought to myself, “No, just put an X, dipshit.”
“The only reason you won’t support Cinton is because you’re a man! I am sick to death of all the latent misogyny by the patriarchal anti-Clinton camp!”
No, apparently she wasn’t quite “sick to death,” as I could still hear her. It’s funny to me how it never occurrs to some people that it’s Hillary-bashing, not Woman-bashing. Which brings me to next part:
“You won’t vote for Obama ’cause you’re a racist!”
Umm … Ok. Of course, the same guy came out and said:
“Man, I voted for Hillary.”
*shakes head* So, uhh… He’s a racist? And proud of it?
Which brings up another:
“I scrolled to Obama and hit Cast Ballot. And the screen came up and said ‘Thank you for your vote.’ I think I messed up. Can I do it again? No? Man, you all are racist!”
Ya know… I just… How the… Why… *shakes head*
On a similar note:
“Uh, it says to press the Enter button. Is that the big green one that says Enter?”
I thought about saying, “Nah, it’s the big red one that says, ‘Cast Ballot,'” but since the last guy who made that mistake nearly went postal, I decided to just stand there and shake my head a while longer…
Finally, with my Failsafe paperwork approved, I was able to rejoin the line and make my way up to the registry official.
“Democrat or Republican?” the official asked the guy in front of me.
“Republican,” he whispered as quietly as possible.
“REPUBLICAN?” the official yelled.
“Uh, yeah, yeah,” he whispered, glancing nervously towards the jeers from around him.
He signed his name. He walked, with an, “Excuse me,” through the crowd and over to the Voting Booths. He cast his vote. He walked out.
When it was my turn, I did the same.
But I still wonder where all the animosity comes from.
If having different opinions is so bad, then why bother voting at all?
February 7th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Before it become too restrictive, i used to hang out in a bar at the airport just to listen to people. i’d sit there, with my notebook and pen, ostensibly writing Something Of Great Importance. But really, i was jotting notes on the conversations swirling around me.
People so feel a sense of anonymity in the airport.
elise
February 8th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Exactly why I didn’t vote and decided to wait until the general election…can’t handle that shit twice a year.
February 8th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
It’s hard not to be disillusioned by politics. Regardless of a candidate’s personality, they are dogs on their party’s leash. I can’t help but shake my head at the fact that in order to get elected, you need fit your party’s perfect political mold or risk alienating a strong voting subsection. A perfect example is McCain. His moderate conservatism is as close to center as I’ve seen from a candidate in a long time, but yet he can’t even gain the support of his own party leaders, despite the fact that Republicans (and by Republicans, I mean the ordinary citizens not involved in the party’s politics) are overwhelmingly in support of his candidacy.
I was born into a strange family. I have a mother who is an Evangelical Christian and a natural Republican. My father, on the other hand, is a Jewish athiest and a strong Democrat. I borrow from both and am about as moderate as they come. I swing either way depending on the issue, and I see both view points of each issue because I grew up hearing the discussions (…arguments…) back and forth. I have given up the hope of ever finding a candidate that fits MY particular set of beliefs, as its impossible for a candidate with views outside of party lines to ever get elected. Perhaps that is where my disdain comes from. People search for the perfect candidate, but the parties make it impossible for that person to run which only pleases the extremely right or left wing voters.
As for people frowning upon people voting for the other party as stated in the entry, that’s just basic psychology. Human’s seek identity through groups, and that identity is made stronger by harboring animosity for other rival groups. Hitler kept the Nazi party strong by directing their hate towards other groups, and that sad flaw holds true today despite the downscale. The even more demoralizing truth is that it will never change. It really is who we are as humans, and though some of us are smart enough to notice that it is occurring, we all fall prey to it at times.
Long comment I know, but I haven’t stopped by in a while. Guess I had to make up for my absence.