POTUS

I can't get on Facebook. I can't turn on my TV. I can't go to any news website without becoming so discouraged that I feel as if an all out media fast is in order. Being a voter in a swing state is not fun. Especially in a county that could go either way. I've never seen the level of political adds that I do down here in Miami. There is no real escape but to ultimately not use media. Most of my friends on Facebook are firmly entrenched in one camp or the other. I've heard some terrible things from good people but the underlining fact is that there seems to be a huge misrepresentation of what is really going on. I will be as naive as most people if i think that this is unprecedented and that the rhetoric used in this election cycle is something new. It's not. It's just that, you can't escape it anymore.

As an college educator, I've seen my share of, let's just say, "less than accurate information". I like to think that I'm decent at picking up on the truths, half-truths, and the down rights. Watching the debate to me was like watching a college freshman scramble to participate in class after I wake them up from sleeping through the first twenty minutes. In science, we have these things called experiments. After all the data is collected, we write up a report. We submit it and it's reviewed and if we are lucky, it's published. Now, what happens if another team does a similar experiment and obtains different results, and often a different explanation? If that work is sound and holds up to peer review, it's valid. So now we have competing doctrines that were both soundly reviewed and put into the literature.

Here is the problem, we have two sides that rush to the doctrine in which their ideals lie and then zealously promote it, even if it means attacking every little thing other side does. I had someone call into question, one time, my use of Heinz Ketchup because of John Kerry's affiliation with the brand. But what I saw at the debate was clear. Find the source that says what you want and quote it, fiercely defend it from criticism, and then make sure all of your cronies are on the same page. However, the issue doesn't reside with the candidates, the issue stems from OUR lack of balance and OUR inability, or really un-willingness, to PROPERLY separate fact from fiction. There were so many times on Wednesday  night that the truth was stretched to the limit by both candidates equally. But who is going to hold them accountable? IT SHOULD BE US! But we have no political will. Those that call into question the integrity of our purchased democracy are labeled as fanatical, jobless hipsters by the right. Those that urge for smaller government and fiscal responsibility are often associated with being racists, and narrow minded. Neither one is accurate to the extent that people portray them to be. We need to move beyond this.

I have political views. I'm going to talk about them, but I am going to address the issue of our democracy and what I believe is at stake. The best direction for our country is not to the right or left (that only gets you going sideways), it's in the middle, going forward where we can have to reach across the isle.


~B