Politics: Choosing Your Fight

A while back, I was very vocal about supporting one of the nominees for the presidential election, which was uncommon for me, because it is rare that any politician gives me hope. After Kony 2012 was released and I saw the huge backlash from negative people, I decided that it was important for me to choose my battles carefully; I take criticism and negativity to heart (The Internet is no place for me, I guess.), so I decided to only post controversial comments about select issues. For me, being humanitarian is more important than being political, so outwardly supporting my favorite nominee took a backseat.


That attitude still rings true to me, so I won’t support my candidate through this post. Instead, I’ll voice two major concerns I have when going to cast a ballot in this election.


Concern 1: Allowing and Accepting Lies


I’m not a fan of Mitt Romney. If you are, great; this post is not meant to change your political views, but clarify them. However, I doubt that you, reader, are a supporter of Mitt Romney in and of himself. 


I greatly enjoy the fact that I have friends with a wide variety of political views. Even judging from Facebook, I’ve seen support of Santorum, Paul, Gingrich, Cain, Huntsman, and Obama. I’ve never seen anyone choosing to support Romney. Not once. It seems that the greatest M.O. for his support is due to the fact that he is not the current president, who many people (where I live especially) dislike.


I’m not a fan of Romney, neither am I a supporter of Obama. I am a Catholic, and his forcing Catholic institutions to violate their conscience and view pregnancy as a decease is a deplorable act in my book. I think that he is taking for granted the freedom of religion in our Constitution and that is, to me, very low.


(Heck, you may not agree with me, and that’s okay. This post is not about the rightness or wrongness of the HHS mandate. I just stated my opinion of it to explain where I am coming from.)


So, Mr. Obama won’t have my vote. Mr. Romney, in a very predictable act, says that he will overturn this mandate and help preserve the freedom of religion. Seems pretty obvious that all faithful Catholics should vote for Romney, right? Before I put on my elephant costume and raise the red GOP banner, I have a point to consider.


Way back in 2008, the Democratic front runners were making their political promises. One huge issue for them was the war in Iraq. No Democratic party member outwardly supported it. Ending the war in Iraq to the Democrats was like ending the HHS mandate to the Republicans. Mr. Obama, amid applause and well-wishers, said this. But then he clarified that statement here. I call a lie a lie. Period.


If Mr. Obama can lie about that – a crucial so important to the Democratic Party, could Romney be lying about overturning the HHS mandate? Well, at least we know that Romney is an honest, consistent character. Oh wait.

My question is this: why should I be okay with politicians lying about big issues? That doesn’t lead me to trust candidates from the Republican nor Democratic Party. If lying is permitted to these people and they are supported despite their lying, I cannot support them. People say that this choice makes me not pragmatic. I think this choice makes me human.


Concern 2: Big Brother and the Two Political Parties


Much like my first concern, but with a broader aspect, is my problem with the political parties. These entities make voters think that politicians are privy to different moral standards than the rest of us. 


They allow candidates to flip-flop on issues, go back on their word, and accept much money from big corporations in exchange for political favors. And as a voter, I am expected to allow this as a necessary evil and shrug it off and say, “That’s just the way politics are.”


But, here’s the thing: I cannot and will not believe that.


Maybe this makes me a conspiracy theorist or an idealist with his head in the clouds. I’ll accept either title. However, I won’t abridge my moral standard for politics, or when voting.


Even if everyone else loves Big Brother, I don’t accept it.


(No I don’t really think American politics are described in 1984. It’s a hyperbole.)


As parents, one wouldn’t allow his child to do favors for those who give them money in kindergarten, or allow them to lie without repercussions. If we expect this of our kindergartners, why don’t we allow this from our politicians?




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My purpose is not to tell you, reader, how to vote. I humbly ask of you to vote for the candidate you believe in, whoever that may be. If that is Romney, vote for him. If that is Obama, vote for him. Just I beg that we all vote for someone whose character we can stand by. The lesser of two evils is a depraved way to vote. We need to vote for something good. If more and more people do this, voters will not be slaves under our country’s political party’s umbrellas.


End idealistic rant.