Courtesy of app1.kuhf.org
Twitter is always the worst during presidential debates. Amidst the completely biased, tumultuous clamor on this social networking site, (which forces me to unfollow many people) I stumbled upon one tweet that proclaimed that anyone who didn’t vote in the upcoming presidential election “isn’t a fucking American.” This kind of ignorant blabber makes my head pop like a balloon.
As an uncommitted voter and a dutiful citizen, I’m trying to determine who to vote for. While I can’t customize a presidential candidate’s agenda like I can customize Nike shoes, I’m trying to calculate who is worthy to be the next president both in terms of who more closely aligns with my agenda and who is a better administrator.
While I respect President Barack Obama as a leader, I feel that he’s too liberal for me. I do truly believe that he has done a remarkable job guiding America, from the moment he inherited a nation in a mess to getting Americans back on track, in a span of four years. I also believe that strengthening the middle class is critical in the present economic mess. But there are some areas where I think he crossed the line, like health care reforms (that’s one step too far for government intervention) and legalizing and attempting to nationalize same-sex marriage.
I confess that while Governor Mitt Romney and I agree on several issues, I am reluctant to vote for him because he lacks the leadership skills that are absolutely imperative for America in its current state. The main reason is that he doesn’t understand or represent the ordinary American. He comes from a wealthy, privileged family and is now raising a wealthy, privileged family of five sons and 18 grandchildren. Furthermore, Ann Romney, his wife, and the five wives of his five sons have never had jobs. (Why I care I don’t know). He does not understand the struggles that ordinary Americans face daily. So to me, it’s basically a conflict between leadership and political agenda.
Since it all comes down to this, I am probably not going to vote because I can’t decide between the two candidates. For me, Obama’s strength lies in his leadership whereas Romney’s lies in our commonalities on several issues. But both strengths are equal. Therefore, I have arrived at the rational conclusion that both candidates are equally worthy. But the final week of the campaign could shift the momentum. For example, if Romney adds to the collection of ignorant definitions of the word “rape,” I’m definitely voting for Obama.
The moral is that if you think both candidates are equally good and you absolutely cannot decide who to vote for, then it’s perfectly fine that you choose not to vote. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. But if you fervently believe that one of the candidates deserves your vote, then you should, as a citizen blessed with the civil rights granted by the sacred Constitution of the United States, vote.
Ning is a member of the class of 2015.
