Political Dance: I Think I'll Sit This One Out

If you are like me, a registered voter who exercises his right to vote or not vote based on the level of prevailing ridiculousness of the current election, then an article on the June 24^th Boston Globe may interest/disgust you.  “Republicans oust Ron Paul delegates”, written by Stephanie Ebbert details the exclusion of 17 Massachusetts Republican delegates from the upcoming national convention in Tampa, FL.  It is no coincidence that these excluded folks are also supporters of Ron Paul and that they failed/refused to submit a heretofore unprecedented affidavit promising their vote to Romney at the national convention, under penalty of perjury.

Land of the free…

It was my first trip to Sweden in 2001 when my views of American politics were confirmed. After several futile verbal battles with my “blue state” brother arguing my position that a choice to not vote can be as powerful as casting a ballot, I had grown weary of defending myself and secretly doubted my stand. Then, my 5-month stay in Stockholm, where a national election loomed. The results of which are faded from memory but this number stands frozen in time, 86, as in the percentage of eligible voters that turned out for the election. Nationally, the Swedes were disappointed in the turnout. I repeat….disappointed.

Check any source you care to use and you’ll find the USA near, or at the bottom, of any list of % of eligible voter turn out when it comes to national elections. For example, Malta is a leader at 95%. In 2008, in our much-ballyhooed monumental moment of change, we came in at 58%. One of the highest ever recorded by us Patriots was the year I was born, 1960, where a whopping 63% made it to the polls.

A couple of other numbers struck me as significant as I witnessed Sweden exercise their right to vote.  The first was the number of active political parties in a country whose population is equal to that of Manhattan’s, 9,000,000. There were 13. No red and blue here. It’s a veritable Crayola box.  Next to catch my eye was the 60% of elected positions held by women. That’s SIXTY percent.

It all fell together for me that summer in the land of Vikings and Blondes. I had always been confused and became disgusted with our two-party “system” and felt surely a country of more than 200,000,000 people should have more than two crayons to choose. I also wondered, since childhood, why there weren’t more women than men involved in our Political system as it became clear to me from an early age that women have are far more multi-dimensional than men when it comes to… well, just about everything, but especially decision-making.

What I have always felt as I entered adulthood and earned the privilege to vote, or not, was confirmed by my visit to Sweden and is supported whenever I choose to read an article like Ms. Ebberts’.  As Jefferson warned long ago, beware of the two-party deal. He felt it could lead to our demise and he may be right. Furthermore, given the choice between only two candidates that really “count” many more Americans decide to sit out elections rather than participate.  We have been proving that on a global level for over 50 years. It’s a popular theme to claim superiority in this country as if there are some global BCS rankings with the two highest ranked going to compete in the Rose Bowl for “country of the year honors”. I’ve never understood the need to wave the global foam finger and as I get older I see there are few things where we lead world rankings, obesity and violent crimes excluded. But we clearly are nowhere near the top of the rankings in terms of participating in our political system.

Then, when I read that Americans chosen by this broken system are being excluded to participate because they see some grey in between the red and blue, I think I realize the origin of our apathy. The system is broken and unappealing to many people. It is a runaway train of spending and lying followed by more lying and spending. It is difficult for any educated person to find the truth and I find our two choices every 4-year cycle to be less and less experienced and more and more polished at delivering a carefully crafted, automated response to any and all questions.

Since as early as 1960, close to half our voting population, has said “thanks, but no thanks”. I am tired of having those numbers ignored. It has been characterized as the lazy and unpatriotic that do not vote. When considering the choices we’ve been presented over the past few elections and given that a vote for a third party candidate is considered a “wasted” vote, perhaps it is just a conscious choice to participate by adding to those vast numbers that do not believe in the current system and refuse to validate it.  For those of you involved in the world rankings, who consider the US as the most powerful country in the world I have one question;

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are the best choices to lead our country?

I think I'll sit this one out.