Election Day (or 'E-Day' as it may come to be known) has come and gone. No matter your political affiliation or background or even beliefs, candidates won and lost on the national, state, and local levels. Our nation has not yet stumbled blithely into anarchy or embraced authoritarian regimes so I'd like to congratulate voters new and experienced, knowledgeable and ignorant alike, on carrying us through another election and ensuring the democratic process remains true if not perfect.
I'm not one to typically talk politics and despite that being the focus of this article, taking sides will not be a sensible topic I'm willing to pursue- there are simply too many things to be said, too many factors to account for, and too little space to compose a manuscript to do anything of that sort the justice it deserves in political discussion. I would however, like to approach this election season from the context it was reared to me- fresh from the eyes of a new(er) voter.
I followed the 2012 political season with interest while I was a high school student enrolled in Advanced Placement level Government and History courses. I may not have been able to vote at the time, having need of one more year before being afforded that hefty role in society, however I was able to observe and appreciate the process. Politics interests me a great deal more than politicians themselves. Politicians are defined in a multitude of ways and the word carries both positive and negative connotations depending upon whom you talk to, as do the basest of governmental terms as well.
What interested me more than the candidates presented by either party in the 2012 election season was what they sought to represent and in effect wished to change, incumbent or otherwise. So, it is for the same reason that I looked forward to my first 'Presidential' election this year. It has grown increasingly difficult over the past century to run a so-called "clean" campaign and honestly I'm not so sure such a thing has ever existed saved for cases of unanimously elected parties. Smear campaigns have become the typical form of action whereas the media itself acts the part of watchdog in keeping candidates honest.
The spinning wheels of any good orator and politician's (not always one and the same) mind must speed into overdrive when it comes down to the wire and the election or re-election season closes in. As we approached the November deadline and early voting, late registration, and general polling began, it was interesting to see the field of battle even and potential future officials begin to refine their speech and ideas as well as consolidate them within a particularly single-minded platform. Ultimately it is naive to believe that every single minuscule detail can be addressed to the satisfaction of the individual voter or citizen.
Whereas candidates initially begin with blanket statements of grandeur and glory in regards to how they hope to affect the city, region, state, nation, or world, they will inevitably begin to focus their mind and efforts upon singular topics that are deemed "most effective" or "most important." Politics is far from the only place where this happens. One could not hope to cover an entire detail-oriented history of the world in a single semester and so professors focus on the MVP-reel worthy highlights of eons past.
While a great many of us may have watched campaign season antics for the sheer absurdity of it at times, I looked towards details such as what the parties shared in common and what they fundamentally felt was important enough to be addressed regardless of who "won" the coming election. Surprisingly, there were more than a few things that blurred the boundaries that have sprung up increasingly between the parties over the previous decades of polarization. I looked towards what each candidate promised in the future and where that lined up with my own admittedly moderate views. I looked at the objective critiques surrounding moral character, political or leadership experience, and level-headedness.
I reached beyond the candidates themselves and looked not necessarily at who there were or what they promised but what was feasible and who would vote for it. Sometimes you have to be a little more honest with yourself rather than solely fling your vote out there with hopes and prayers attached. Our system is far from perfect and has never claimed to be as such. The current upheaval and revelations we are met with on a daily basis only confirm this, however it is far from the end of the nation or the world. We live in a world that has ensured it is increasingly difficult to cultivate a society or culture of one specific mentality or ideation, even if it is the overwhelming majority or shared by the majority of the populace. It is this fundamental root of differences and stark objectivity that ironically brings us closer together at times.
Whichever figurehead is set at the head of the boat, the waves themselves will steer us just as well as the captain and any amount of aerodynamics will. There are so many inside and outside forces at work here that cannot accurately be accounted for. Whichever way you lean, whichever things you believe, do not despair unduly over any one election or any one figure. We are blessed to live in a nation that prides itself on both fundamental ideals of liberty and choice and therefore the will of the people and the will of the experienced and ignorant alike can be taken into some account and never wholly discounted.
