Vote your hearts and minds
If you had asked me a number of years ago what political party I wanted to belong to, I suspect I would have looked at you through bleary eyes and flashed the peace sign (which is short for "Chill out man. I'm in the moment and you're blocking my karmic energies.").
But I'm older now. My maturity permits me to attribute bad acts by political groups to their parentage and revel in the notion that my side (yes, I now have a side), is only thinking of what is good and right for the country.
Interestingly enough, in my wanderings on the Internet I came upon an articled entitled "United States Political Parties," by John Bibby. I found it fascinating in view of the fact that this country generally accepts the premise that elections center around two-and-one-half political parties: Democrats, Republicans, and Who? (No offense intended to third parties, but come on, when was the last time you won anywhere other than Minnesota?)
Anyway, Bibby makes the following statement, "When the Founders of the American republic wrote the U.S. Constitution in 1787, they did not envision a role for political parties in the government order."
He goes on to say, "Indeed, they sought through various constitutional arrangements such as separation of powers, checks and balances, and indirect election of the President by an electoral college to insulate the new governmental order from political parties and factions."
I don't know why I find that so fascinating. Perhaps it's because it explained that the founders never envisioned or intended for the leadership of this country to be decided based on mud-slinging ad campaigns that employ pettiness and outright distortions of the truth of stump speeches tantamount to shouting, "I'm the noble one. I never lie. My competition ate paste until he was 10!"
After the Presidential election of 2000, it was pretty much a sure thing that 2004 was going to be bloody, but listening to the media, not to mention the learned souls in Hollywood, the choices in November include the Brahman, the Anti-Christ, and what's that guy's name?
Give me and the founding fathers a break.
If there is such a thing as a point here, it's simply to encourage people to get out and vote their hearts and minds in November without regard for all the crap. It's the least we can do to honor the founding fathers, don't you think.
— Dinah Richmond
