Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Thank God I'm not a Ken----oops --A Republican!

You know what I meant--- Do you remember that song---‘I’m glad I’m not a Kennedy?’ It was a hit here back in the 80’s, by a New Zealand singer, Sharon O’Neill. I believe it may have even made its way to the USA. However, that is not the point of my blog today----what I am really saying is that ‘I am glad I am not a Republican. Damn--- what a crazy choice you have to make. If your presidential Elections sees the usual ‘eligible voter’ turnout as low as the  30%’s range then God only knows what it will be this year. When did the USA have a turnout whereby the successful candidate had a ‘real’ majority? So much for participation levels in the democratic process.
Perhaps I am missing the point here too. Isn’t it a choice as to whether you even vote? The USA is not like Australia, where voting is actually compulsory and non-voters can be fined. I don’t expect that this law is followed through, just as the law says in New Zealand that everyone must be ‘registered.’ I doubt anyone has been fined here.
Having said all of the above, can I blame or seriously criticise anyone if they don't vote later in the year? If you don’t like Obama (and the polls suggest you don’t), then you are faced with Romney or Santorum---some choice eh.
Both Republican ‘aspirees,’ seem to have a pattern for ‘putting their foot in their mouths.’ Day after day on the campaign trail, their words of wisdom come apart. They have another curious practice---trying to become 'at one' with their potential voters by repeatedly pretending to ‘one of the good old boys.’ Romney’s attempts to be a ‘Southerner,’ made me cringe when I heard him going on about loving grits. I think the ‘vomit meter’ would have been off the scale.
The Republicans seem determined to wind the clock back on tolerance and diversity issues. (Maybe Romney is a little less strident in his utterings). Any gay in the military or single mother must be looking over their shoulders each time Santorum opens his mouth. You get the feeling that Santorum in particular is attempting to position himself to gather in the majority of the evangelical vote. The problem for him is that that sector of the vote never was and hopefully never will be the majority in the USA. God help us all if such a situation ever eventuates. I have visions of a USA looking like a country of zealots, minus the head gear!
But I have faith in the USA. Thank God that there are many good people in the USA: those who think and see the bigger picture, those who are tolerant and believe in giving everyone a fair go, those who can laugh at themselves and who support a  USA where the ‘Statue that welcomed millions,’ represnets a USA that is alive and well.
There is hope.