Some Thoughts on the Election

– I did not vote for Barack Obama, but I will stand behind him and support him as my president. I will champion compromise in congress and wherever else it can make meaningful progress. I will not pretend the president is evil (for he is not), and I will not intentionally roadblock his policies just because he has a certain letter by his name. Grow the fuck up.

– The state of political discourse in America is basically two grown men hurling insults at each other from across the country. Think about that.

– Please stop pretending like everyone that doesn’t agree with you is an idiot. They’re just forming opinions based on what they’ve seen in their lives.

– At some point, accountability needs to become important for our elected officials. We’re sick of being lied to, but it continues to happen because we willingly accept it without repercussions, time and time again. Take a look at the promises the candidates made before election, compare to what actually happened, and vote accordingly. It’s rarely just one person’s fault, but if they’re going to promise it, they’d better damn well be able to deliver.

– For the love of god, stop acting like there are only two candidates. I’ve already gone on about this here.

– It’s a tremendous blessing that we have so many people in this country that actually give a shit. If you did your research and then casted an informed ballot, you should be proud of yourself.

– We need to be done jumping aboard the sound bite bandwagon during campaigns. That goes for “binders full of woman,” “47%,” “the private sector’s doing fine,” and plenty of others I’m glad I don’t remember. We’re all aware of how far they’re taken out of context, and that they don’t mean what we pretend they mean. Perpetuating sound bites makes us part of the problem. And using them in jokes is boring and unfunny.

– As Sir Winston Churchill once said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood for something, sometime in your life.” Continue to fight for what you believe in, but do so civilly, and entertain other viewpoints at least occasionally. Watching Rachel Maddow (if you’re a Democrat) or listening to Rush Limbaugh (if you’re a Republican) does not count.

– Telling someone what they “should” do will only make them want to do it less. This is the wrong way to spread your message.

– Continue to not give a shit what celebrities think.

I love you all, and God bless America.

Sam

(P.S. I wrote that first paragraph Tuesday morning. Just left the name blank. It’s easy to call for “support for the president” and “coming together as a nation” when your side won. The only way to get where we need to be is to do those things when your side lost.)