|
| ||
|
|
THE WORLD HAS GONE MAD
8/21/2006 Never Commit Technique Winning Voters? By Carrie K. Hutchens I was reading some articles about the primary race down in Florida and found myself chuckling. Couldn't help myself. In an August 6, 2006 article, Crist riding good vibes past critics, appearing in the Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060806/CAPITOLNEWS/608060329/1010, I found, "When a Tampa cop recently asked Crist what retirees could do about health-insurance costs, the former Wake Forest backup quarterback made a stock call from his playbook. "What I'd like to know is what your ideas are," he said, explaining, "I don't have all the answers, and if you have a candidate who says he has all the answers, run."" In the same article, "I like Charlie Crist. He's a nice guy and he's a really good politician. The one thing that I think is a drawback for Charlie is it's very difficult to pin him down on where he stands on anything," said Van Poole, a former state Republican Party chairman backing Gallagher. "Charlie will walk across the street and say 'hello' if he sees you. But when someone will go up and say, 'What do you think about this?' he never answers them."" The very first time I voted, I voted for a candidate for no other reason than because I thought he was good looking and had a neat personality. I have an excuse. I was a mere kid. A mere kid that didn't have enough life experience to realize what the word "politician" could mean and that the personality might only be a face put on for the potential voter and nothing more. Like I said, I was a mere kid. It never happened again. After that fateful first voting experience, I researched candidates and their positions. I listened and read intently. My vote was always an informed one and never based upon "neat" and "good looking". Now I am reading things in theTallahassee Democrat like, "And he's doing it in a decidedly un-Jeb Bush way: rather than rolling out hefty policy proposals to steer the party intelligentsia, Crist wields a smart suit and glossy smile that disarms audiences." Brings back the memories of my misguided youthful vote. It's one thing to ask a neighbor a personal question that is none of your business and for him or her to side-step asking, "Why do you want to know?" It's one thing to ask a neighbor what their position is on a particular topic, and them avoiding giving an answer that has to do with politics or anything else. They are a neighbor, after all, and their position actually is none of your business unless they wish to make it so. However, if that same neighbor is running for office and asking for your vote -- you have a right to know their position on the issues that could effect you should they win the election. How could they or anyone else think otherwise? I'm sorry but I don't understand the citizens of Florida thinking it is "cute" that Charlie Crist avoids answering when asked what his position is on different issues that could have a very serious impact on their lives. After all, that suit and smile isn't going to mean a thing if his decision toss comes up "snake eyes" and causes bunches of people to lose what they had no idea they were set up to lose. Reality is.. voting on a candidate with no idea of how he/she stands on the issues, IS doing nothing more than blindly gambling (like on brightly lit and intriguing machines) and hoping for the best. It's nothing more than pulling the handle on a slot machine, bidding on the spin of the wheel, throw of the dice, or draw of the card. That is reality. So if that is what is going to be done, why not put the slot machines out there, rather than the voting ones and be done with the false illusion of it all? I lost my chuckle. There certainly isn't anything light-hearted about any of this. Florida voters need to not only ask questions -- they need to demand answers! Will they? It's a pull of the handle and the wonder of the day! We shall see! Carrie Hutchens is a former law enforcement officer and a freelance writer who is active in fighting against the death culture movement and the injustices within the judicial and law enforcement systems.
| |
|
| ||
