election woes

This election season has had me thinking about our nation's history. We tend to think only in the present and don't take into account the fact that our nation's leaders have always had heated discussions about the right course of action. We also forget that every discussion has often ended in compromise, no clear victory for either side.

What I fail to see now is heated debate about ideas. Oh, we hear promises about what candidates are going to do, but no real debate. How are we to decide for whom we should cast our vote? Oh right, we have political ads on television, radio, and in print. Instead of thinking about which idea is right, we now are confronted with which candidate is a better person. Who is more experienced, who is better looking, who is more genuine, who is younger? These are the questions we're asked. The truth is, we don't really know who would be a more qualified or better leader. Let's be honest. What job exists in the world that would prepare an individual to be a nation's leader? It obviously doesn't come through a blood-line. It's not just about a person's intelligence. I also don't think it's about military service. Of all the presidents in the past, I can think of three that possibly had enough military service to qualify for the title of Commander-in-Chief: George Washington, Ulysses Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower.

So what's it about? It has to be about ideas. But we never really hear about ideas, especially not in the red state of Texas which last voted for a democrat in 1976. We never hear about another candidate's ideas, except in nationally televised debates which aren't really debates. Where are the passionate discussions about what we think is the best course of action, not empty promises about "what I'm going to do?" Where are the candidates who lay themselves on the line, knowing that what they say could cost them the election, but are willing to say it because they believe it's right?

I'm tired of political ads that never address issues, but instead call the other candidate a bad person. I'm tired of candidates who don't say what they think because they're afraid of losing. I want a candidate who will be honest. I want a candidate who doesn't say what people want to hear. If a candidate would do or say anything genuine, he or she would have my vote, even if I didn't agree completely with them. I want someone who is thoughtful, not someone who will toe the party line. I want someone who will lead, not wait to see where the people want to go.

Anyway, that's a long thought about really nothing that's important, just what's been on my mind. Tune in later for my thoughts about caramels and marshmallows.