Sheesh. It’s funny, I’ve been blogging at Working Mother for the last nine months and have hardly gotten a response to my posts. That is until today. I decided to take on a dicey topic. Politics. And I got slammed. Slammed by Republicans, by older women who have been there, done that; slammed by women whose husbands have served in the military, and pretty much made to feel like if I don’t know my facts about the candidates, then I should just shut my pie hole.
Ouch.
Here’s the deal-io my fine, well-educated feminist friends on both sides of the Republican and Democratic fence. Most Americans don’t know the nitty gritty facts about all the candidates and their stance on all the issues affecting Americans. Plain and simple, many of us vote with our emotions. We make our decisions after watching negative ads or seeing news reports about a candidate’s latest indiscretion. Sadly, we vote like we’re selecting an American Idol contestant. And that is the cold hearted truth. Sure there are some who research all the issues and make an informed decision after they’ve weighed the pros and cons, but when it comes to the current political climate, we’ve just turned up the heat to broil.
Women are saying we should support Sarah Palin just because she’s a woman and if we say petty or jealous things, then we should be ashamed of ourselves. I truly don’t believe I’m jealous of Sarah Palin or being petty for that matter. What I do know is while I respect the things she’s accomplished in her political career, I don’t believe in her stance on issues that affect women. Just because she’s a part of my team, I still don’t feel compelled to support her. Others say we should support Barack Obama because he represents change. And while he has motivated millions with his incredible oratorical skills, conservatives maintain that he has yet to singlehandedly pass a bill or law since taking office. Republicans say we should vote for John McCain because he’s a war hero and will protect us from terrorists at all costs by keeping us in Iraq for 100 years. And Democrats say we should support an Obama/Biden ticket, because Joe Biden is a really decent guy who has tons of foreign policy experience and will finally get our troops out of Iraq.
I guess since I’m sharing my opinions for the world to see I’m fair game for those who think I’m a petty, heartless shrew who shouldn’t be throwing my two cents into an election process I know nothing about. And if I make a joke about a candidate, watch out, I’m going to be lynched by an angry mob of humorless political die-hards.
Here’s what I know about what I want from whomever is elected to office. I don’t want to see anymore friends lose their jobs. I don’t want to ever lose another dear friend to a terrorist attack. I want our environment to be safe for our children. I want my daughter to pursue whatever she wants in her life free of guilt that she’s neglecting her own kids in the process. I want to see cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease in my lifetime and I want people to stop being so damn mean on the Internet when others share their honest opinions. Maybe I’m a culprit too and for that, I apologize for being so heartless with my choice of words. Honestly, I write things to be funny and if it seems insensitive, then I’m sorry I offended you, your political candidate and the entire female gender.
Now I’m off to find out more about Ron Paul.
Role Mommy 3.0