But My Vote Still Counts

Just got off the phone, and I can report that the person who brought me into the world is, right now, canceling out every vote that I made this morning.

But I respect the choices, because they are decisions that are thoughtfully based on a core set of values, and not on TV commercials.

The people who WILL decide the election today are the "last-minute deciders" who have no core ideology and who probably decide based on TV commercials. It's this 4 or 5 percent of the voters that decide the direction of the country. And isn't this a little scary?

In a reply to an earlier post, a reader of The Cup of Joe put it best:

I must say that as a liberal, I have a bit of respect for the tried and true conservatives. I'm not talking about the neo-cons that toe the party line no matter what, but thoughtful people that consider issues and fall to the right. They don't let much sway them from their thinking. I don't either. On that level we are much alike. They have their perceptions of morality and decency and I have my perceptions of the same. We just don't see the world in the same way. That's cool.

Now having said that, it's these mamby-pamby schmucks that can't decide that drive me batty.

Gas prices go up...out with the bums. Gas prices go down...we need to stay the course.

If they're scared a week or so before the election [i.e. terror alerts or RNC Osama Bin Laden commercials] - they vote one way. If they're not - they vote another. And as a result, these are the people that politicians try to appease. And it appears that they are the people that put the least amount of effort or thought into this truly sacred and, as far as the rest of the World is concerned, unique responsibility. They are the nuts that decide the direction of our country.

In rare cases, I'll concede that the choices are really not that clear. But, come on. How hard is it to devise a thoughtful view of the world that you live in? That's why more and more, I respect people with true conviction. I almost respect those that don't even bother to vote more. At least they're not flipping a metaphoric coin at the last minute because they did not bother to investigate and formulate an opinion of their own.

This is really the best thing I've read all month. Now go vote.