In the framing of our Constitution and the creation of the process by which we elect the President of the United States, could our forefathers and foremothers have predicted the election of 2016? In what many are calling the “hold your nose and vote” election of 2016, is there anything in the Constitution or other official laws and practices that let us scrap this thing and start over?
Did the framers have the foresight to predict an election so divided and so nasty that it pits truth against lies, morality against character and “us versus them” within our own borders?
I cannot vote for either of these presidential candidates.
On one side we have a candidate who seems psychologically (and perhaps physiologically) unable to tell the truth. Her blatant disregard and dismissal of those she considers below her – that which includes just about everyone – as well as her lifelong and habitual pattern of lying make her unacceptable to hold the highest office in the country let alone any other office that requires even a smidgen of transparency in conduct.
On the other side, we have a man with a level of immaturity coupled with a hair trigger temper that calls into serious question his judgment, to say nothing of what seems to be a pathological disregard for women and the basic tenets of respect in both personal and professional relationships with females. A person who says and does what this man says and does (and then posts on social media) proves that he is unfit for public office.
Neither of them has been even remotely consistent in their views of what is important to most of us – safety, security, and the health of our families and our communities. They hold up their proverbial finger to see which way the party wind is blowing.
Equally as frightening are the people who are blindly supporting either candidate. The excuses. The pointing of fingers. The justification and rationalizations how one, even with his or her flaws, is the obvious candidate of choice. The hurling of insults and denigration of friends, neighbors and co-workers who don’t agree with one’s position. I anticipate that I’ll be hearing some of that when this article posts.
The worst offenders are the people (including past candidates for the office) who are on video or who have made past public statements opposing these candidates. These same folks are now stepping forward making heartfelt speeches and giving the candidates the big high five. We are supposed to believe these turncoats are now in support of the same people they called liars or conmen or deemed unacceptable for the position.
Throw in a biased media whose focus has evolved to making news rather than reporting it and we are all screwed.
Our system is broken.
I have voted in almost every election since I turned 18 yet I don’t know if I can actually blacken in the circle for either of these candidates.
In most employment settings, if a viable candidate does not apply or, after the interviewing process, there is no good fit for the position, we repost the job and start the application and interview process all over again.
With just under three weeks remaining until the election, is there any way we can call this election “out of bounds” and call for a do-over?
It’s been theorized that our elections moving forward are probably going to continue to look and feel just like this one. People who decide to run for office must be open to being skewered in the press, having every nanosecond of one’s past examined under the microscope with the understanding that the internet, social media and the public’s mostly disregard for facts will be the modus operandi. It’s been suggested that good people – those who want to give of their time and of themselves to represent us in government – are unwilling to withstand the horrors of what a campaign means in the new millennia. And so we will be left with the liars and the schemers and the self-promoting narcissists who are in it for the power and the gain rather than helping us build a better community.
Most normal people have stumbles or bumps along the path in life. Most normal people don’t want to have those hiccups on the cover of People Magazine or as topic for CNN or Fox News.
And so we are left with choices that don’t really feel like real options.
I’ve heard all of the reasons why I shouldn’t waste my vote – the right to vote is not something we should take for granted. I have heard and am concerned about the pending Supreme Court nominations that will matter so it will matter which one of these candidates wins. Maybe if I could sit down with one or both of the candidates and hear directly from him or her and watch their body language and “hear” without the filter of the camera, I might feel more comfortable. As it stands, I can’t stand either one.
If only we could have a do-over.
