The Midterms

I tried to think of some lighthearted funny topic, but I can't. It is the day after Midterm elections and while things generally went the way I voted for them to go, I have a pretty bad track record with these things. I have not been happy with ANYONE I have voted for and who was subsequently elected. Let's trip down memory lane, shall we?

I voted for Clinton II. I was too young to vote in Clinton V. George H.W. Bush. I certainly would have voted for Bush as he was and is a seriously underrated president who got a bad rap, (worse than Biz Marquee). I voted for Clinton not because I thought he was cool, or that it was neato that he played the sax or talked about his underwear or that he was getting more 'tang than an astronaut. I voted for him because Dole was the Crypt keeper and I was sure he would die in office. That dude is still alive and the country is still arguing the what the meaning of "is" is. At least we had a balanced budget and Saturday Night Live got some serious fodder. The rest of it was regrettable.

I voted for George W. Bush, twice. I voted for him against Gore because Gore is a retarded ideologue who couldn't lead a cub scout troupe. I apologize if you don't like my comparison of Gore to a retarded person. It isn't fair to the retarded person. I have zero respect for him to this day and don't regret my vote here. I think our nation under Gore post 9-11 would have proven apocalyptic. How can I qualify that? I can't, I don't have to, it's my blog. I am not asking you to agree. I thought 'W's response immediately post 9-11 was spot-on. I think right, wrong or indifferent we needed a leader who would make some unprecedented calls. I admit, I think the patriot act is an overreach, but I also know that the shoe bomber, the underwear bomber and most recently the print cartridge bomber were all foiled. It is debatable whether the Patriot Act was responsible for any of those foils, but I believe intelligence is necessary. In this world, some people need to be spied on. But it makes me feel dirty to agree with that. I also will concede that the Bush administration was the most closed-off, least forthcoming and most deceitful administration in the history of U.S. Presidencies. And Bush turned out to be quite an ideologue, too. I hated "The Surge" but it worked. In all, I think history will cut Bush loose and he won't be the uber villain people make him out to be today. I am interested to read his memoir. It has to be better than Clinton's. Also I voted for Bush the second time because Kerry is a worse candidate than the laughably bad Gore and I never liked John Edwards. I was right on both accounts.

Which brings us back to doe. I won't divulge who I voted for until after their term (I used the singular here very specifically). Suffice it to say, it isn't working out. I admit to being very taken with the promise of openness and cross-aisle fence mending and breaking gridlock. Promises that turned out to be pillow talk. Now I feel like I am being talked down to, and made to feel wrongheaded or just plain stupid for holding an opposing view. It is my sincere hope that there is a choice come 2012 that will allow me to vote my conscience and my ideology. I was not pleased with any of the Republican party nominees pre-primary. I think the Senator from Arizona, Mr. McCain is to be lauded and saluted for his sacrifice to our country. I think he is a real American hero. But, he also gave birth to the two-headed monster that is Sarah Palin and that may prove to be infamnia, an unforgivable sin.

The wheel of fortune spins 'round and 'round and where it will stop, nobody knows. Maybe 2012 will be the year of the Libertarian and usher in a 1,000 year reign of limited federal government and constitutional law. There's always hope.