Thursday, October 30, 2008

RARE SERIOUS POST: Is it November 5th yet?

I am so tired OF THIS ELECTION!

Seriously, I'm out, I'm done. I'm going to go early, vote, & have it be OVER!

I am sick of the mud slinging, the division, & the judging.

I'm sick of people telling me I'm voting for someone because I think they are "cool", or a good speaker, or how they look. Really, do people know they might as well call me uneducated & superficial? Since I'm not voting for the candidate they're voting for it MUST be because I'm "star struck".

Honestly, people it's not nice to judge me & say I have not prayed hard enough about who I'm voting for or I'd pick the other candidate. For me, I have done lots of studying, considering the facts, & prayer, (D&C 9:8) & I have made a decision about what party to belong to & who to vote for.
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I am a Democrat because I believe the democratic party most closely supports my personal political ideals: civil rights and equality of rights, care of the environment, strong public schools, a role for the government in promoting the general welfare of all its citizens, & a strong, sensible, diplomatic foreign policy.

I am a Democrat because I revere many democrats in the past: Jefferson, Madison, FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, Truman, JFK.

I am a Democrat because I am a mom. I care about the public schools I will send my kids to. The education they will receive, & the teachers who will teach them.

I am a Democrat because of my religious beliefs. I believe in helping those in need. That everyone has as obligation to those less fortunate. I fervently believe in tolerance (not acceptance) of all people. I believe treating people in a Christ-like way.
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I am NOT saying that the other side doesn't believe in these things, people on the other side of the aisle will give the same reasons for their party choice. It's just that FOR ME, this party best exemplifies these ideas. I try SO hard to have educated discussions & be respectful of peoples views, it's all I ask in return.

Gosh, no candidate is perfect or holds ALL my ideals. I am going to vote, then be done with it for the next 4 years.

I know not everyone agrees with my political ideas- & it's all good guys. But anyone else out there, no matter who you are voting for, agree with me? It's time for it all to be done!

13 comments:

Malea said...

True that! I have literally felt personally offended by the accusations that I have heard people make in my office. I'm not talking about, "He's a Muslim," which he's not. I'm talking about, "He's had a gay affair with a terrorist." I'm not sure where people even come up with this stuff!

The thing is, I (Malea Schmitt) am not saying anything negative about your guy, true or false. Can't we just vote now and be done with this bitter campaign and go back to being friends?!

Anonymous said...

You GO, Girl! I know you have given more thought to your views than nearly anyone I know. Many of the people who are critical of your views have forgotten the important LDS Democrats. Like President David O'McKay, Hugh B. Brown, B.H. Roberts, James Faust, Hugh Nibley, J. Reuben Clark, Jr. (who was also an ambassador). Marlin Jensen (current general authority and Church Historian), Senator Harry Reid (currently the Senate Majority Leader and the most powerful Democrat in the country), Rep. Tom Udall (New Mexico), Rep. Jim Matheson (Utah), Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (American Samoa), former Utah senator Frank Moss and representatives Gunn McKay, Wayne Owens, and Bill Orton, Christine Durham of the Utah Supreme Court, and David King (former congressman from Utah, Ambassador to Madagascar, mission president to Haiti, President of the Washington DC Temple, the man who gave you your patriarchal blessing). These people are good, solid Mormons and do not deserve to be maligned by ignorant people who think God is a Republican.

stephanie said...

Oh man, what different places Provo and Seattle are! Sometimes I don't dare even having a thought about being republican. Seriously, a couple of years ago when the Democrats gained the house majority I remember whispering about it with a friend of mine from my school. It's like we had to keep it a secret that we leaned more to the right. I once sat in a political discussion with some older individuals, all planning on voting democrat, all talking about it as if no one in that room could think contrary to their opinions, that no facts would support an opposing view.
Whomever I vote for next week (though I am pretty close to decidiing), I am bothered by those in Mormon town who think that being a Republican is a Gospel principle. It has just been really interesting, though, to see the closed mindedness from both parties.

Linda, Mom and Granny said...

I agree, I can't wait to vote and stop thinking about the election.
This campaign was so bitter. It is sad.

Katie said...

Amen to you. I can imagine what it is like in Utah right now. We don't hear as much of it out here, but I am so sick of the mudslinging ads (mainly for the local elections)! I watch the ads, and I wonder who they think their audience is - is their audience so narrow-minded and uneducated that they think talking crap about their opponent is going to win them over? The only thing the ads have done is managed to turn me OFF from candidates.

Dawn said...

Thank you for your thoughtful posting. In voting, I find a candidate who reflects my core values. It is deeply personal and central to how I live my life. I am happy that this year, I feel like the candidate I have chosen appeals to my greatest hopes and aspirations instead of my deepest fears.

Esther Noelle said...

I'm sorry that this election and exciting time of voting has been so tainted and ruined for you. I know how much you had looked forward to it. :( It will be over soon....

Jessica said...

Amen.

Holly said...

I'm with Jessica. Amen. Move back to DC and you won't be alone as a Mormon democrat anymore.

Mike Kessler said...

Can you imagine how the world would look if our Creator hadn't believed in diversity? The different trees and flowers, the many languages and races, the variety of wildlife -- I think quite a bit of thought went into this amazing diversity. There wouldn't be much need for prayer if we all knew what the answers would be. The same goes for political diversity, and I know that you, Liv, have prayed long and hard about this one as you do for all elections, and I applaud you for doing research and fact-finding before praying and making your decisions.

That said, I have to tell you that here in Oregon, where all voting is done by mail, the pressure has already gone way down because most voters have already submitted their ballots. It's so nice not to see so heavy a barrage of attack ads today as there was a week ago. They're there, but not as much. What I wouldn't give to be sitting there watching Cinderella 2 for the fiftieth time with Sydney and Rob rather than listening to rude and vicious attack ads on TV!

Nae said...

Right on! First, at this point I'm always ready to have the election OVER. So, here, here! Second, it really does irritate me that often our LDS community says that if you're a democrat you obviously "haven't prayed". I hear this SO much! Apparently they don't know their history! Hugh B. Brown was a major democrat, and a GREAT apostle. I think he was a pretty prayerful person. And there are MANY other high profile LDS democrats. It's not a crime against our religion!

M said...

Oh yes Olivia--AMEN to everything you said and to commenters above me. I really like that you point out aligning yourself with a particular party or voting for a particular candidate doesn't mean you agree with everything the party/person stands for or promotes. I'm sure there are a lot of Republicans out there who don't feel the need to own a gun, or who love the spotted owl and want to protect it just as much as we do--and yet, they're still Republicans. Why should it be any different for the Dems?

In the end, you have to vote with your conscience, realizing that there are no perfect solutions in an imperfect world.

Three snaps girlfriend!

Levi said...

I can imagine how you feel in Provo because I was in the reverse situation in college! I earned a b.a in history and m.t. in early childhood education at one of the most liberal universities in the Southeast. As a staunch conservative (not Republican... conservative), I had to walk on eggshells for 5 years. To hear the outrageous, hateful propoganda that was spewed as fact in my classes was almost unbearable. To argue was pointless. Most professors had little interest in intelligent debate. Student input wasn't welcomed unless it served to stroke their enormous ego and futher their political motives. After seeing several students ridiculed and ostracized for sharing their conservative beliefs, I quickly learned to stay quiet during class discussions and write neutral term papers that would not arouse suspicions of my political beliefs or religious affiliation. In fact, my Educational Philosophy professor caught wind that I was LDS and proceeded to give a half hour lecture on the evils of BYU and why it should not be accredited as a legitimate educational institution.
So, I guess my point is that I am sorry you are experiencing such hostility in Provo. I definitely saw some of that when I lived there. Unfortunately it happens on both ends of the political spectrum. Conservatives in a Liberal environment are ridiculed and belittled as well.
On the bright side, I can honestly say that those difficult years in college really helped me to solidify and polish my own ideals. I was forced to face points of view that I would not have been exposed to if I had gone to a conservative university. I am proud to say that I did not close off my mind and tune it out. I considered their point of view, compared it with my own, and sometimes modified my beliefs accordingly. I guess it served as my "refiner's fire". In the end, I hope you feel the same about your experience!