What does the sucker mean? (11/03/2008)

When I went home for lunch today there was a plastic bag hanging from the doorknob. Inside were a variety of campaign materials for the candidate of my choice. There was also a sucker.

Does that mean I am a sucker for voting for him or a sucker for not voting for the other guy? It was very confusing.

I tend to choose my candidates by how well they mirror my views. I prefer them to be somewhat intelligent or at least sound that way. A little experience is usually a positive thing unless I don't think they have done a very good job in the past.

I would love to have a female president but so far neither of the major parties has had the courage to nominate any woman I would actually vote for. Where is Indira Gandhi or Golda Meir when I need her? Oh, yeah. They're both dead, not to mention they weren't United States citizens. Rats. There's always a catch. A strong woman could do wonders with this country.

The race of a presidential candidate or the oddness of his or her name is irrelevant. I also don't care who they have or have not slept with. That should be private. Some of our greatest presidents have been less than ethical in that respect.

I am grateful for the privilege of voting. I like to think my opinion makes a difference. It bothers me when pollsters call then automatically hang up when I answer "yes" to the question of whether or not I work for a newspaper.

I want my voice to be counted.

My mother does not vote. She doesn't care one way or the other who runs the country. She believes they are all crooks, anyway. Sometimes I think she is right.

She asked me the other day if it was hard to vote. I told her all I had to do was push a couple of buttons. If there is any confusion as to how the voting machines operate then there are always plenty of workers hanging around to demonstrate the procedure.

I didn't tell her that it was sometimes hard for me to see the names on the ballot. Those screens aren't always easy for old eyes to read.

I also didn't tell her that picking the right choice wasn't at all simple. Sometimes all the candidates have similar viewpoints. Sometimes they all seem to be a bunch of wackos and the challenge is to pick the sanest one of the bunch. Sometimes each candidate has more positives than negatives and it is hard to tell them apart.

For the most part, people who run for office sincerely want to make a difference. Thank goodness for bureaucracy. The ponderousness of the government means that no one person can make a total shambles of things with their well-meaning bumbling. There are checks and balances in our government for a reason.

I know that technically I don't get to vote for a president. The Electoral College does that. However, the people directly choose the members of the Electoral College and if they choose to vote for someone other than the voters' choice they stand the chance of losing their next election (and their jobs).

My vote carries greater weight in local elections than national ones. Local elections can and are lost or won by a one-vote margin. But if you are soliciting my vote then you should know that I usually vote for the loser.

I hope that you have familiarized with the people who are running for office. Know what their opinions are. Know what their personalities are. Know what they stand for and what they won't allow. Make your choices. Show up at the polls and cast your vote.

Then let me know what the sucker in with the campaign materials meant.

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