The Non-Voter, the True Deplorable

“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.

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Photo credit: Getty Images

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