“No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems – of which getting elected and reelected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind.”
~Thomas Sowell
We have a system of checks-and-balances in this country, impeding one branch of government from holding too much power. We elected a new president-elect, and whether you’re happy about that or not, doesn’t concern Washington one bit. Business will go on as usual, for them as well as us. You see, the president is just a puppet in my opinion. They hold little to no real power, and what power they do have can be reversed with the wave of a wand from Congress and the Supreme Court.
Am I upset Donald was elected? As a gay man, no.
And do you know why? Because everything he said during his campaign was a ploy to get the base to the booths.
Do I believe Donald will do everything he said? Again, no. Because as I’ve stated, we have a system of checks-and-balances. Granted, Congress took on a red hue last night, but there is disconsent among the ranks. Many “traditional” Republicans are not happy with the results either, which could lead to the same deadlocked Congress Obama has had to deal with. So, I do not fear anything Donald said. I may be naïve, but I’ve survived previous presidents, I will survive this one.
The real reason I am not upset is because every president-elect enters the office with visions of grandeur. They’re going to bring about the change. They’re the one who is going to “Make America Great Again.” In reality, 95 percent of what the president-elect wants, they never get. You see, it’s that damn checks-and-balances again.
When it comes to making policy, remember, politicians only concerns are getting elected and reelected. If policy has been passed and the constituents are not happy with them, reelection becomes harder and in a few years, those congressman could be looking for new work themselves.
I wasn’t thrilled when Bill, George, or Obama were elected. I’m not thrilled Donald was either. But as someone who votes in EVERY election, not just the presidential ones, I will watch what Donald and his administration do, and take the appropriate steps when the time comes. Now is the time to sit back and watch. Nothing can be done until 2018.
Do you want to know where my frustration really lies with this election and every other election for that matter? The voter turnout. There are an estimated 320 million people in this country, with roughly 70 million under the age of eighteen. The numbers have been tallied, less than 125 million people voted. That’s less than 40 percent of the population, or roughly, 50% of the voting populace.
People are now screaming praise or the sky is falling. But what about the other 50 percent?
Who cares?
The non-voter is the true deplorable. So, for someone yelling praise or foul, there is at least one person who didn’t vote yelling praise or foul. The people who didn’t vote are what is driving the wedge between this nation, not Democrats or Republicans. Their opinions don’t matter. They failed to do their civic duty. If any one of them wants to say something about patriotism, don’t listen. They are the biggest hypocrites of all. The most patriotic thing you can do is vote. It is, after all, our civic duty, as well as an American privilege.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Statistically, Trump was barely elected by a quarter of the population. Which is a travesty. obviously, a quarter of voters is not the voice of an entire nation. Yet trump supporters are acting like trump won by a giant landslide out of everyone in America. He scraped by with a tiny portion of the population. Here is something else that needs to be factored in. Obama had to contend with a republican house which held him back on a lot of the things he wanted to accomplish. Not even letting him pick a Supreme Court judge and preventing us citizens… Read more »
So I agree with this but even more so from the primary vote side. People say they were unhappy with the two candidates. Well, if everyone votes in the primary election, we should get candidates who better represent all of us. As part of that, the primary election should be on the same day across the nation. No more of this Iowa in February and California in June. By June, some of the candidates have dropped out, and people don’t get the same opportunity to vote for the candidate they want. The sad truth is that many Americans care more… Read more »
So, if you were given a choice, to vote for either Stalin or Hitler, who would you choose? Regardless of your vote, you know you will be responsible for horrendous atrocities. I can understand why plenty of people did not vote. Many have insanely busy lives, issues that will not realisticly change regardless of which turd is elected, and no choice that actually represents their interests. I also highly doubt that the majority of people who couldn’t make time to vote are now suddenly incensed over its results, they already knew they were fucked either way, and are carrying on… Read more »
Candidates on both sides had some redeeming value. You simply pick the one that best fit your hopes for the future. The non-voters are the proverbial fence sitters who would and will have plenty to say but didn’t say it in the voting booth.
So I genuinely could not bring myself to vote for either so I picked 3rd party and I know most people think that’s just as bad as not voting, but with both candidates being so unlikable, I really believe if the people would have thought the 3rd party could win, and voted for them, they could have won this election. I know a lot of people who voted against somebody rather than for somebody. I voted for somebody.
I’m glad you voted for someone. Even a write in means that a person is making a statement. I came close to writing someones name in but for me there was a major issue on the table. As a first generation of 18 year old guys that were given the privilege to vote (Prior we could be drafted but not vote), I take voting very seriously. Changes happen starting from our community all the way up. I’m 62 and have never not voted. Besides, I live in Illinois and it’s as screwy as it comes.
And this is true because I say it is. That is nothing but an assertion, not a fact. With your attitude towards non-voters, you are unlikely to even get someone you know to admit to it, never mind explain their point of view. You are merely creating your own echo chamber by calling people names instead of reaching out to find out the truth behind their action or inaction. This is no different from liberals painting all Trump supports as racists and bigots, Trump supporters painting all Hillary supporters as spoiled crybaby millennials, etc. Humanity progresses through understanding other people’s… Read more »